z,-^ 


,1  Wit  mtoiomt  ^ 

^V>  PRINCETON,   N.  J.  *^ 

Purchased   by  the    Hamill    Missionary   Fund. 


BV  3415  .F7  1904 
Forsyth,  Robert  Coventry, 

1854-1922. 
The  China  martyrs  of  1900 


THE  CHINA  MARTYRS  OF  1900 


TAI    YIKX    Fl     MARTYRS. 


(i.    I'..    I'AKTHING.  MRS.    FARTHING. 

THE    FARTHING   CHILDRF;N. 
E.    M.    STEWART.  MRS.    WHITEHOUSE.  S.    F.    WHITEHOUSE. 


THE  CHINA  MARTYRS 

OF  1900.  A  COMPLETE  ROLL 
OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  HEROES 
MARTYRED  IN  CHINA  IN  1900 
WITH    NARRATIVES    OF    SURVIVORS 


Compiled  and  Edited  by 

ROBERT    COVENTRY     FORSYTH 

FOR     EIGHTEEN    YEARS    A    MISSIONARY    OF    THE    BAPTIST 
MISSIONARY    SOCIETY    IN    SHANTUNG 


WITH     ONE     HUNDRED     AND      FORTY-FOUR     POR- 
TRAITS  AND   OTHER  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FLEMING   H.    REVELL    COMPANY 

NEW    YORK,    CHICAGO,    TORONTO 


PREFACE 


The  aim  of  the  writeT  in  the  present  volume  has  been 
to  place  before  his  readers  a  connected  account  of  the 
events  which  affected  Missions  and  missionaries  in 
China  during  the  Boxer  rising  of  1900.  All  that  has 
yet  appeared  has  been  almost  necessarily  sectional  and 
mainly  denominational,  and  therefore  there  is  a  legiti- 
mate place  for  a  narrative  which  combines  all  the 
Missions  represented,  and  describes  the  tragic  scenes  as 

a  whole. 

With  so  large  a  field  to  cover,  and  such  a  wealth  of 
material  to  use,  some  line  must  be  drawn  so  as  not  to 
exceed  reasonable  limits  of  time  and  space  ;  and  this 
has  been  done  by  confining  the  present  volume  to  the 
description  of  events  affecting  the  Protestant  missionary 
body  in  China.  With  this  end  in  view,  the  heroic 
defence  of  the  Pei-Tang  Cathedral  in  Peking,  and  the 
equally  heroic  resistance  successfully  offered  by  Roman 
Catholic  priests  and  native  converts  to  the  marauding 
bands  of  Boxers  and  Imperial  troops  at  Ma  Cheng  in 


IV 


Preface 


Shan-si,  and  In  other  parts  of  the  Northern  provinces, 
have  been  excluded. 

Only  a  selection  of  the  marvellous  tales  of  the  escape 
of  Protestant  missionaries  from  the  hands  of  their 
enemies  has  been  given  for  the  same  reason.  All 
available  sources  of  information  have  been  freely  used, 
and  the  narratives  and  descriptions  of  events  are  given 
mainly  in  the  form  in  which  they  appeared  at  the  time 
of  their  publication,  or  from  the  pens  of  those  most 
conversant  with  the  circumstances  described. 

As  the  China  Inland  Mission  has  the  largest 
missionary  staff  in  the  eighteen  provinces  of  China,  it 
naturally  follows  that  the  heaviest  losses  fell  upon  that 
body.  In  order,  therefore,  to  make  the  picture  complete, 
the  writer  has  availed  himself  of  the  liberty,  kindly 
granted  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Stevenson,  the  director  of  that 
Mission  in  Shanghai,  and  by  the  Home  authorities  of 
the  Mission,  to  make  what  use  he  pleased  of  the  books 
and  pamphlets  issued  by  the  members  of  the  Mission. 
He  has  fully  availed  himself  of  this  permission  ;  other 
friends  have  also  generously  assisted  by  writing  special 
articles  for  this  volume,  or  placing  their  productions  at 
his  disposal  for  the  purpose  intended,  and  for  these  the 
writer  offers  his  best  thanks. 

The  tragic  events  of  1900  and  their  consequences  in 
China,  and  their  relation  to  Protestant  missions  in  that 
country,  should  not  remain  scattered,  and  possibly  buried 


Preface  v 

in  fugitive  books,  magazines,  and  pamphlets.  That  they 
should  not  be  focussed  in  some  way  in  a  compact  and 
convenient  form  seemed  to  the  writer  a  deplorable  loss, 
to  be  avoided  at  all  cost  if  possible.  The  attempt  has 
been  made,  therefore,  to  place  the  events  of  this  stirring 
and  formative  period  in  a  connected  and  readable  form 
before  the  reader.  The  Churches  in  Europe  and 
America  forget  only  too  soon  such  great  upheavals  and 
such  heroic  deeds  as  those  which  occurred  in  China  in 
1900.  Hence  the  chief  aim  of  the  writer  has  been  to 
place  on  record  the  complete  story  in  a  permanent 
form. 

The  terrible  story  of  the  sufferings  of  our  missionary 
brethren  and  sisters,  ending,  as  they  did  in  so  many 
cases,  in  cruel  deaths,  has  been  given  so  far  as  practic- 
able in  order  of  time.  To  increase  the  general  interest 
and  usefulness  of  the  book,  and  also  to  illustrate  in 
the  best  possible  way  the  true  catholicity  of  the  great 
modern  missionary  enterprise,  the  main  facts  and  circum- 
stances in  the  early  life  and  training  of  the  martyrs  have 
been  collected  together  in  Chapter  XXI.  The  details  are 
as  complete  and  accurate  as  it  was  possible  to  make 
them ;  but  biographical  facts  in  some  cases  have  not 
been  procurable. 

That  this  effort,  which  has  been  undertaken  as  a 
labour  of  love,  and  brought  to  completion  amid  the 
many  distractions  incident  to  missionary  labour  during 


vi  Preface 

the  whole  of  the  trying  period  it  has  endeavoured  to 
record,  may  have  the  blessing  of  God,  and  may  be  used 
by  Him  to  deepen  the  interest  of  His  people  and  call 
forth  more  enthusiastic  support  for  the  ardent  prosecu- 
tion of  His  work  in  the  Chinese  Empire,  is  the  earnest 
hope  and  prayer  of  the  writer. 


CONTENTS 


/ 


CHAP. 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 
X, 

XI 
XII. 
XIII 


XIV. 

XV. 

XVI, 


THE  BOXER  RISING  OF  1900   . 
THE  FIRST  MARTYRS     . 
THE  MASSACRE  AT  PAO  TING  FU 
THE  T'AI  YUEN  FU  TRAGEDY 
'IN  DEATHS  OFT' 

'DESTITUTE,  AFFLICTED,  TORMENTED 
FLIGHT  ACROSS  THE  DESERT 
THE  MASSACRE  AT  CHU-CHOU-FU 
THE  SIEGE  IN  PEKING 
MARVELLOUS  ESCAPES 
A  WONDERFUL  DELIVERANCE 
IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  BOXERS     . 
,  THE     FLIGHT     FROM     HONAN  —  I.     THE 
CANADIAN    PRESBYTERIAN    MISSION 
ARIES       .  .  •  •  • 

THE     FLIGHT     FROM     HONAN  -  II.    THE 

CHINA  INLAND  MISSIONARIES 
THE  EXODUS  FROM  SHANTUNG 
THE    DESTRUCTION   OF    MISSION  WORK 
IN  MANCHURIA 


PAGE 

I 

9 
19 
30 

43 
65 
85 
90 
98 
116 

134 
148 


202 


219 
250 

273 


viii  Contents 

CHAP.  PAGE 

XVII.  ON  THE  BRINK  OF  THE  GRAVE     .  .      311 

XVIII.  THE     SUFFERINGS     OF     THE     NATIVE 

CHRISTIANS 346 

XIX.  THE  STORY  OF  MR.  FEI  CHI  HAO  .  383 

XX.  THE  STORY  OF  A  RECANTATION   .  .  399 

XXI.  WHAT  MANNER  OF  MEN  WERE  THESE?  412 

XXII.  REFLECTIONS  AND  FORECASTS      .  .  485 

APPENDICES  :— 

I.  THE     MEMORIAL    SERVICES     FOR    THE 

MARTYRS 499 

11.  THE    RELIEF   OF    NATIVE    CHRISTIANS 

IN  SHAN-SI 503 

III.  THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  OFFICIALS  CON- 
CERNED IN  THE  MASSACRES   .  .       509 

INDEX 513 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


T'AI  YUEN  FU  MARTYRS     ....         Frontispiece 
G.    B.     Farthing ;    Mrs.    Farthing ;    The    Farthing 
Children ;  E.  M.  Stewart ;  Mrs.  Whitehouse ;  S.  F. 
Whitehouse. 

PROMINENT  OFFICIALS         .  .  .  To  face  page      i 

The  Governor  of  Shantung  ;  Yu  Hsien,  Governor  of 
Shan -si ;  The  Boxer  General  at  the  Siege  of  Peking. 

THE  FIRST  MARTYRS  .  .  .  .  „  I7 

A  Boxer  in  1900;  S.  M.  W.  Brook;  Charles 
Robinson  ;  H.  V.  Norman. 

PAO  TING  FU  MARTYRS     .  .  .  •  »  26 

Ruins  of  Temple  where  the  Missionaries  were 
imprisoned;  H.  T.  Pitkin;  A.  A.  Gould;  M.  S. 
Morrill ;  Scene  of  Martyrdom  outside  the  walls. 

T'AI  YUEN  FU  MARTYRS     .  .  .  •  „  38 

E.   A.    Caombs;    A.    E.    Lovitt ;    Mrs.  Lovitt ;    A. 

Hoddle ;  Mrs.  Stokes ;  G.  W.  Stokes ;  Mrs.  Simp- 
son ;  J.  Simpson. 

SCENES  IN  T'AI  YUEN  FU  .  .  .  .  >,  42 

House  in  T'ai  Yuen  Fu  where  the  Missionaries  lived 
a  few  days  before  the  Massacre  ;  Starting  of  the 
Memorial  Procession ;  Memorial  Service  at  T'ai 
Yuen  Fu. 

THE  HSIN  CHOU  MARTYRS  .  .  .  ,,  49 

Mrs.  McCurrach ;  W.  A.  McCurrach  ;  I\irs.  Dixon ; 

Herbert  Dixon ;  Mrs.  Underwood ;  T.  J.  Under- 
wood ;  B.  Renaut ;  S.  W.  Ennals. 


X  List  of  Illustrations 

LETTER  IN  THE  DIARY  FROM  MISS  RENAUT, 

AND  THE  LAST  ENTRY  IN  IT  .  To  face  page     63 

THE  T'AI  KU  HSIEN  MARTYRS    .  .  .  ,,  68 

R.  Bird;  M.  L.  Partridge;  Mrs.  Clapp ;  D.  H. 
Clapp ;  G.  L.  Williams ;  F.  W.  Davis. 

THE  YO  YANG  AND  HO  TSIN  MARTYRS  .  ,,  74 

A.  King ;  D.  Barratt ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M'Connell ;  A. 
Woodroffe  ;  E.  Burton  ;  J.  Young  ;  Mrs.  Young. 

THE  TA  TUNG  FU  MARTYRS         .  .  .  „  78 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  M'Kee;  M.  E.  Smith;  M.  Aspden  ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'Anson  and  two  Children. 

CHU  CHOU  FU  MARTYRS  .  .  .  .  „  92 

Mrs,  Thompson  ;   D.  B.  Thompson ;  J.   Desmond  ; 

E.  Sherwood  ;  E.  Manchester. 

THE  SIEGE  OF  PEKING       .  .  .  .  „  108 

In  the  British  Legation,  Peking;  F.  H.  James; 
*  Fort  Cockburn '  with  the  Nordenfeldt  rapid-fire 
Gvm  ;  The  Missionaries  in  the  Legation. 

TAKEN  AND  LEFT „  144 

Mr.  M'Kie  and  Party  in  Ping  Yang  Fu ;  Mrs. 
Glover  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  Kay  and  Daughter ; 
P.  A.  Ogren  ;  Mrs.  Cooper  ;  M.  E.  Huston. 

THE  TA  NING  MARTYRS     .  .  .  .  ,,  160 

F.  E.  Nathan ;  M.  Heaysman ;  Isl.  R.  Nathan ; 
Cave-dweUing,  Ta  Ning  ;  Ruined  Chapel,  Ta  Ning. 

THE  SI  CHAU  MARTYRS     .  .  .  .  ,,  192 

Mrs,  Peat ;  W.  G.  Peat ;  E.  L.  Dobson ;  E.  G. 
Hurn. 

THE  SO  PING  FU  MARTYRS           .  .  .  ,,224 
M.   Hedlund;  J.  Lundell ;   N.  Carleson ;  E.   Karl- 
berg  ;  E.   Pettersson  ;  O.  L.   Larsson  ;  E.  Persson  ; 
S.  Persson  ;  A.  Johansson  ;  J.  Engvall. 

THE  FLIGHT  IN  SHANTUNG         .  .  .  ,,256 

Missionary  Parties  at  Chinese  Inns. 
VIEWSiON  THE  SIBERIAN  RAILWAY     .  .  „  273 

i.  Port  Arthur  ;  Vladivostock  ;  Wei  Hai  Wei. 


List  of  Illustrations  xi 

VIEWS    ON     THE     SIBERIAN     RAILWAY  — r^;^- 

tinued  .  ....  To  face  page  286 

ii.  A  Station  in  ]Manchuria ;  Steamer  on  the  Amur  ; 
Houses  for  Military  Guard  Zigzag  at  Genghis. 

VIEWS    ON     THE     SIBERIAN     RAILWAY  — r^«- 

timied  .  .  .  .  .  .  ,,  298 

iii.  Train  at  Baikal  Station  ;  Train  de  Luxe  with 
Observation  Car  ;  A  Siding  Station. 

THE  MONGOLIAN  MARTYRS  .  .  .  ,,320 

C.  J.  Suber;  N.  J.  Fridstrom ;  D.  W.  Stenberg ; 
H.  Anderson  ;  C.  Anderson  ;  H.  Lund. 

KUEI  HUA  CH'ENG  MARTYRS       .  .  •  ,,  352 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olson ;  E.  Anderson  ;  E.  Erickson  ; 
Mrs.  Anderson ;  INIr.  and  Mrs.  Lundberg  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Niren  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blomberg  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nystrom ;  A.  Gustasson  ;  Mrs.  Forsberg ;  K.  Hall ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bingmark  ;  Mr.  Palm  ;  Mr.  Forsberg. 

CHINESE  CONVERTS  .  .  .  •  »  385 

Li  Pai ;  Fei  Chi  Hao  ;  Wang  Hsi  Yo  ;  Wang  Ming  ; 
Nich  T'ungngan ;  Wang  Pao-t'ai ;  J.  P.  Bruce ; 
Wu  Chien-ch'ena:. 


412 


PAO  TING  FU  MARTYRS      .  .  .  •  ,, 

Mrs.  Simcox ;  Paul  Simcox  ;  F.  E.  Simcox  ;  Francis 
Sinicox;  Mrs.  Hodge;  G.  T.  Taylor;  C.  V.  R. 
Hodge. 

PAO  TING  FU  MARTYRS      .  .  .  .  ,,  423 

Mrs.  Bagnall ;  Gladys  Bagnall ;  B.  Bagnall ;  William 
Cooper  ;  Graves  of  the  Missionaries. 

T'AI  YUEN  FU  MARTYRS     .  .  .  .  ,,  432 

T.  W.  Pigott;  Mrs.  Pigott ;  J.  Robinson;  W. 
Pigott ;  M.  Atwater  ;  N.  Atwater ;  M.  Duval. 

T'AI  YUEN  FU  MARTYRS    .  .  .  •  „  439 

J.  Stevens ;  Mildred  Clarke  ;  The  Beynon  Family  ; 
Mrs.  Wilson  ;  Dr.  Wilson. 

THE  HSIAO  I  HSIEN  MARTYRS    .  .  .  „  451 

E.  Searell ;  Graves  of  the  Martyrs  ;  E.  Whitchurch. 


xii  List  of  Illustrations 

THE  FEN  CHOU  FU  MARTYRS      .  .  To  face  page  458 

C.  W.  Price;  Mrs.  Price;  A.  E.  Eldred ;  Mrs. 
Lundgren  ;  A.  P.  Lundgren ;  E.  R.  Atvvater ;  Mrs. 
Atwater. 

CHU  CHOU  FU  MARTYRS  .  .  .  .  „  471 

Mrs.  \Yard;  G.  F.  \Yard ;  E.  A.  Thirgood ;  A 
Chinese  Poppy  Field. 


THE    (iOVERXOK   OF   SHANTUNG. 
YiJ    HSIKN,  THE    BOXER    GENERAL 

AT   THE    SIEGE   OF    PEKING. 


GOVERNOR    OF   SHAXSI. 


[To  face  Chap  I. 


The  China  Martyrs  of  1900 


CHAPTER   I 

The  Boxer  Rising  of  1900 

Towards  the  end  of  November  1897,  the  writer,  with 
others  in  the  interior  of  the  province  of  Shantung,  was 
startled  by  the  rumour,  which  for  some  time  seemed 
unworthy  of  belief,  that  the  Germans  had  landed  troops 
and  taken  possession  of  Kiaochou  Bay,  one  of  the  finest 
natural  harbours  in  the  province.  This  was  done 
ostensibly  because  two  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  of 
German  nationality  had  been  murdered  in  the  south- 
east of  the  province  of  Shantung  a  short  time  before. 

The  seizure  was  easily  made.  Three  German  war 
vessels,  commanded  by  Admiral  Diedrichs,  entered  the 
bay  at  Tsing-tau  on  November  14,  1897,  and  pointed 
their  guns  at  the  Chinese  forts,  marines  were  landed,  and 
an  order  was  given  to  the  commander  of  the  fortress  to 
surrender  within  three  hours.  The  Chinese  troops,  who 
were  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  holding  the  forts,  fled 
inland,  and  their  commander  had  no  option  but  to 
surrender  to  the  enemy  within  the  specified  time.  The 
Chinese  soldiers,  it  is  said,  finding  that  they  were  not 


2  The  Boxer  Rising  of  1900 

pursued,  took  courage,  and,  doffing  their  uniform,  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  coolies,  and  busily  assisted  in  bringing 
the  baggage  of  the  German  troops  into  the  fortifications 
which  they  had  so  recently  evacuated  in  a  manner  so 
undignified. 

This  seizure,  so  easily  accomplished,  and  regarded 
at  the  time  merely  as  a  punitive  measure,  met  with  a 
chorus  of  applause  from  foreign  Powers ;  but  none  knew 
then  how  pregnant  this  act  was  with  consequences  which 
were  to  cause  all  the  world  to  wonder,  and  to  inaugurate 
one  of  the  most  startling  revolutions  in  the  history  of 
China. 

Following  on  this  event  came  the  demand  of  Russia 
for  Port  Arthur  in  Manchuria ;  and,  backed  as  this 
demand  was  by  France  and  Germany,  that  fortress  was 
wrested  from  Japan,  and  handed  over  to  Russia  without 
a  struggle.  Russia  immediately  thereafter  poured 
troops  into  Manchuria,  altered  the  terminus  of  her 
Siberian  railway  from  Vladivostock  to  Dalny,  and  has 
remained  practically  in  possession  of  that  country 
ever  since.  The  British,  jealous  of  Russian  influence, 
immediately  pressed  for  the  cession  to  them  of  Wei- 
Hai-wei,  a  convenient  harbour  also  in  the  province  of 
Shantung,  and,  after  many  negotiations  and  threatenings, 
finally  secured  this  important  place.  Up  to  this  time  it 
had  been  held  by  the  Japanese  as  a  guarantee  for  the 
payment  of  their  indemnity.  The  British  took  peaceful 
possession  of  it,  and  have  remained  in  occupation  till 
the  present  time,  with  every  evidence  of  permanent 
possession. 

All  these  events  were  rendered  possible  by  the 
revelations  of  the  utter  helplessness  of  the  Chinese 
Government,  made  to  an  astonished  world  by  the  war 
with    Japan.      The    pride    of   the    Chinese,    and    the 


Reform  Movement  of  1898  3 

corruption  which  marked  the  administration  of  public 
funds  by  their  officials,  was  the  efficient  cause  which 
could  not  fail  to  bring  its  Nemesis  of  disaster  and 
humiliation  for  the  whole  nation.  That  the  Chinese 
Government  was  stung  to  the  quick  by  these  humilia- 
tions it  was  forced  to  endure  in  silence,  goes  without 
saying.  The  young  Emperor,  Kuang  Hsu,  seeing  that 
the  empire  was  in  danger  of  rapidly  disappearing  piece- 
meal, made  efforts  which  were  nothing  less  than  heroic, 
to  stem  the  tide  of  encroachment  by  the  reform  of  the 
administration.  Calling  to  his  aid  enlightened  and 
progressive  men,  he  issued,  with  a  rapidity  which  dazzled 
and  amazed  all  beholders,  edicts  which  abolished  the 
existing  system  of  Government  examinations,  turned 
idol  temples  into  village  schools,  reduced  the  various 
venerable  boards  in  Peking  to  ciphers,  and  made  the 
trembling  mandarinate  feel  as  if  the  heavens  were  about 
to  fall.  Not  only  so,  but  it  seemed  as  if  the  new  reform 
movement  was  to  have  a  strong  infusion  of  Christianity. 
Early  in  1898  the  Emperor  sent  to  the  American  Bible 
and  Tract  Depot  in  Peking,  and  ordered  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  and  of  every  tract  and  book  that  the  depot  could 
supply,  for  his  own  reading.  These  books  were  passed 
into  the  palace,  and  early  and  late  this  ruler  of  millions 
could  be  seen  poring  over  these  books,  and  devouring 
their  contents. 

Taking  their  cue  from  the  Emperor,  some  of  his 
advisers  freely  advocated  placing  Christianity  on  the 
same  level  of  toleration  with  Confucianism,  Buddhism, 
and  Taoism,  and  some  even  urged  that  it  should  be 
adopted  as  the  national  religion. 

This  reform  movement  was  hailed  with  delight  by 
the  younger  literary  men  amongst  the  Chinese,  and  a 
demand   for   Christian   literature   sprang    up   unprece- 


4  The  Boxer  Rising  of  1900 

dented  in  the  history  of  Christian  missions  in  China. 
Mission  schools  were  soon  crowded,  and  men  of  means 
in  Peking  and  other  important  centres  subscribed  large 
sums  for  the  establishment  of  schools  of  Western  learn- 
ing, where  their  sons  might  be  taught  under  the  new 
system. 

But  all  this  could  not  proceed  without  arousing 
immense  opposition,  and  from  very  powerful  quarters. 
Many  of  the  high  officials,  when  what  they  considered 
as  their  vested  interests  were  touched,  and  themselves 
superseded  by  men  whom  they  despised  as  upstarts, 
turned  in  their  dismay  to  the  Empress-Dowager,  and 
implored  her  to  save  their  country — by  this  meaning 
themselves — from  ruin.  She,  in  giving  over  the  reins  of 
government  to  the  Emperor,  had  still  retained  in  her 
own  hands  two  of  the  Imperial  prerogatives — first,  the 
use  of  the  Great  Seal  of  State  ;  and  second,  the  appoint- 
ment of  all  the  higher  civil  and  military  officials.  The 
Emperor  strongly  urged  that  these  prerogatives  should 
be  under  his  control,  but  this  was  indignantly  refused. 
After  nearly  a  week's  struggle,  the  end  came  on 
September  22,  1898,  in  what  is  known  as  The  coup 
d'etat,  and  the  complete  triumph  of  the  Empress- 
Dowager. 

Within  a  week  from  that  date  the  heads  of  six  of  the 
more  prominent  reformers  were  shorn  off  by  the  knife 
of  the  executioner,  giving  ghastly  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  in  the  propagation  of  new  ideas  there  are  dangers 
of  which  men  who  love  their  lives  should  not  lose  sight. 
The  names  of  these  men,  called  the  proto-martyrs  of 
the  reform  party,  were  T'an-ssu-t'ung,  Lui-kuang-ti, 
Yang-tsui,  Liu-hsio,  Yang-shen-hsiu,  K'ang-kuang-jen. 
Kang-yu-wei  and  others,  however,  succeeded  in  making 
their   escape.     The   young   Emperor   himself  was    put 


Yii  Hsien  in  Shantung  5 

under  restraint,  and  the  reins  of  the  Government 
snatched  from  his  grasp,  and  wielded  once  more  by 
the  able  and  unscrupulous  woman  who  has  controlled 
the  destinies  of  the  empire  for  nearly  half  a  century. 
Under  the  new  regime  the  Government  immediately 
revoked  the  edicts  which  had  caused  so  much  offence, 
and,  looking  about  for  some  means  of  supporting  their 
designs,  thought  that  they  had  found  a  fitting  instru- 
ment in  what  is  known  as  the  '  Boxer  Sect.' 

This  movement  originated  in  the  south-east  of 
Shantung,  and  was  part  of  the  effect  of  the  taking  of 
Kiao-Chou  by  the  Germans.  In  intention  its  object  was 
to  resist  the  foreign  invasion  of  the  country,  and  one  of 
its  banners  had  the  motto  inscribed  upon  it,  '  Support 
the  present  dynasty,  and  destroy  the  foreigners.'  Under 
the  direct  encouragement  of  Yu  Hsien,  who  was  then 
Governor  of  Shantung,  the  sect  spread  rapidly  in  his 
jurisdiction,  and  it  was  one  of  their  bands  who  was 
responsible  for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Brooks.  This,  how- 
ever, led  to  the  removal  of  Yii  Hsien,  and  the  policy 
of  repression  of  the  Boxers,  inaugurated  by  his  successor, 
prevented  the  spread  of  the  movement  in  Shantung,  but 
drove  it  more  to  the  north  and  west;  and  in  the  pro- 
vinces of  Chih-li,  Shansi,  and  Manchuria  it  flourished 
unchecked.  In  Shansi — under  the  rule  of  Yii  Hsien, 
who  had  been  transferred  to  that  province  from  Shan- 
tung, notwithstanding  all  the  opposition  of  the  foreign 
Powers  —  it  culminated  in  the  awful  murders  and 
massacres  of  foreigners  and  natives  which  have  made 
that  province  notorious  in  the  annals  of  crime. 

In  Chih-li  the  Boxers  began  the  siege  of  the  Lega- 
tions in  Peking,  although  it  was  subsequently  carried 
on  by  Imperial  troops ;  and  in  Manchuria  they  for  a 
time   laid  low,  and   in   some  places  almost  destroyed, 


6  The  Boxer  Rising  of  1900 

the   work    of  Christian    missions    in   that   part   of  the 
empire. 

Amongst  the  secrets  of  the  rapid  spread  of  the 
Boxers  was  the  fact  that  they  practised  incantations, 
and  were  supposed  by  the  credulous  multitude  to  be 
invulnerable.  These  incantations  are  thus  described 
in  a  brochure  issued  by  Dr.  John  Ross  of  Moukden, 
Manchuria.  He  says :  '  The  candidate  was  made  to 
stand  facing  the  south-east,  the  direction  in  which 
Kuan  Yin',  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  is  worshipped.  The 
feet  of  the  novice  were  set  on  the  sign  of  the  cross. 
The  tips  of  the  forefingers  and  thumbs  were  brought 
together  to  form  a  circle.  The  other  fingers  were 
folded  backwards  on  each  other  towards  the  forefinger. 
Through  this  circle,  or  through  a  glass,  the  youth  (it 
was  generally  young  persons  of  both  sexes  who  were 
initiated)  looked,  placing  a  circle  against  each  eye, 
the  eyes  being  closed.  His  (or  her)  hands  were  thus 
held,  and  the  eyes  kept  closed  during  the  whole  cere- 
mony. The  performer  went  to  the  side  of  the  youth, 
and,  speaking  close  to  his  ear,  said,  "  Ta  t'ien,  t'ien  men 
kai,"  "  Strike  heaven,  heaven's  door  opens,"  etc.,  repeat- 
ing four  lines  of  five  syllables  which  rhymed  pleasantly. 
After  the  words  were  said,  the  "  teacher  "  breathed  gently 
into  the  ear.  He  then  went  to  the  other  side  and 
repeated  the  same  ceremony.  From  side  to  side  he 
went  till  the  spell  worked  and  the  youth  fell  back  in 
a  trance.  He  was  then  asked  what  spirit  he  was  of, 
and  replied,  the  God  of  War,  or  other  deity.  He  was 
then  known  as  the  medium  of  that  spirit.  He  stood 
erect,  uttered  unearthly  yells,  calling  out,  "  Slay,  slay ! 
kill,  kill !  burn,  burn  !  the  foreigners."  He  went  blindly 
knocking  against  walls  or  any  obstacle  in  his  way  until 
exhausted,  and  then  by  a  smart  slap  on  the  forehead 


Conservatism  of  China  7 

was  recalled  to  his  senses.  In  other  words,  the  youth 
was  hypnotised,  and  amongst  an  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious populace  was  supposed  to  be  possessed  of  super- 
natural powers.  It  was  this  which  gave  the  Boxer 
element  such  a  hold  on  the  people,  and  led  to  such 
portentous  and  disastrous  results  of  awful  wickedness 
and  folly,  which,  with  the  encouragement  in  the  highest 
quarters,  well-nigh  brought  the  empire  to  destruction.' 

There  were  also  other  causes  at  work  which  helped 
forward  this  outburst  of  anti-foreign  feeling. 

The  Chinese  are  strong  in  their  attachment  to,  and 
reverence  for,  the  past.  The  old  ways  hallowed  by 
custom,  the  ways  of  their  ancestors,  are  looked  upon 
by  them  with  superstitious  reverence,  and  this  feeling 
is  enhanced  by  the  worship  at  the  tombs  of  their 
fathers,  and  their  constant  desire  to  appease  the  spirits 
of  the  dead  in  every  act  of  life. 

The  new  ways  introduced  by  the  hated  foreign  devil, 
who  is  responsible  amongst  other  things  for  the  intro- 
duction of  the  national  curse  of  the  opium  habit,  which 
is  eating  out  the  vital  powers  of  the  nation,  have  caused, 
and  are  causing,  the  bitterest  spirit  of  animosity  in  the 
people  generally. 

The  introduction  of  Christianity  has  also  caused  a 
ferment  amongst  the  people,  and  the  success  of  the 
Protestant  form  of  it  has  been  a  source  of  intense 
uneasiness  amongst  the  lazy,  and  mostly  vicious,  priest- 
hood of  the  Buddhist,  Taoist,  and  Confucianist  forms 
of  religion. 

Roman  Catholicism  is  also  responsible  for  creating 
an  antagonism  which  amounts  almost  to  a  passion  of 
hatred  amongst  rulers  and  people  alike,  by  their  arro- 
gant assumption  of  equal  status  with  the  higher  officials, 
the   prosecuting   of  lawsuits  with   all  the  force  which 


8  The  Boxer  Rising  of  1900 

they  derive  from  the  unscrupulous  use  of  the  protec- 
tion bestowed  on  them  by  the  French  Government  in 
the  person  of  its  representatives,  the  acquiring  of  pro- 
perty in  all  directions,  and  the  use  they  make  of  the 
power  and  wealth  which  is  thus  created. 

The  condition  of  the  country,  too,  was  such  as  to 
cause  much  discontent  amongst  the  labouring  classes. 
Famine  is  never  far  off  from  the  people  of  Shantung, 
especially  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  those  counties 
bordering  on  the  Yellow  River,  that  fruitful  source  of 
sorrow  and  misery.  In  Chihli,  Shansi,  and  Shensi, 
the  crops  had  failed,  and  the  sharpest  pangs  of  hunger 
assailed  multitudes  of  the  unfortunate  peasantry.  In 
Shensi  so  great  was  the  distress,  that  human  flesh 
was  sold  on  the  markets  as  a  not  uncommon  article 
of  diet. 

These  sufferings  were  made  much  of  in  the  pro- 
clamations which  were  issued  by  the  Empress-Dowager 
and  her  advisers,  as  the  just  anger  of  Heaven  for  allow- 
ing the  foreigners  to  encroach  on  the  sacred  territory 
of  China,  and  calling  upon  all  patriotic  citizens  to 
rise  in  their  wrath  and  expel  them  from  their  coasts. 
The  treatment  of  the  Chinese  by  foreigners  in  the 
treaty  ports  and  elsewhere,  the  want  of  respect  for 
their  feelings  and  customs  too  often  met  with  by 
them  there,  their  exclusion  from  other  countries  by 
the  jealous  artisan  class,  and  the  cruel  way  in  which 
many  of  their  countrymen  had  been  treated  in  these 
foreign  lands, — all  these  things  have  helped  to  swell 
the  tide  of  anti-foreign  feeling  which  culminated  in 
the  disastrous  outbreak,  to  portray  which  is  the  pur- 
pose of  these  pages,  in  so  far  as  it  affected  missions 
and  missionary  interests  in  China. 


CHAPTER    II 

The  First  Martyrs 

The  story  of  the  'beginning  of  sorrows'  is  most 
pathetic.  Mr.  Brooks,  a  young  man  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  had  joined,  two  years  previously,  the  S.P.G.  Mission, 
working  in  the  south-west  of  the  province  of  Shantung, 
In  the  year  1894  he  had  entered  St.  Augustine's  College, 
Canterbury,  and  was  accepted  for  work  in  North 
China  in  the  spring  of  1897.  After  arrival  at  his 
post  he  struggled  sturdily  with  the  Chinese  language, 
and  was  making  good  progress.  He  had  already  begun 
his  missionary  labours,  and  was  devout  and  earnest  in 
his  work.     Mr.  Brooks  had  been  made  a  deacon  of  his 

Church.  .  -u   u- 

Mr.  Brooks  had  been  spending  Christmas  with  his 
sister,  who  had  lately  arrived  in  China  as  the  bride  of  Rev. 
H.  J.  Brown  of  the  same  mission,  stationed  at  T'ai  ngan 
fu.  Boxer  troubles  in  the  province  had  caused  great 
anxiety  ;  but  up  to  that  time  no  foreigner  had  been 
attacked,  and  it  was  still  believed  to  be  a  local,  rather 
than  a  general,  disturbance,  and  fully  under  the  control 
of  the  authorities. 

At  Ping-Yin,  the  other  station  of  the  mission  m 
Shantung,  about  fifty  miles  from  T'ai  ngan,  Mr.  Matthews 
was  alone,  and  Mr.  Brooks,  who  belonged  to  that  station, 
was  anxious  to  join  his  colleague,  to  be  of  assistance 


lo  The  First  Martyrs 

during  that  troublous  period.  This  faithfulness  to 
duty  and  loyalty  to  his  fellow-worker  cost  Mr.  Brooks 
his  life. 

In  connection  with  the  death  of  Mr.  Brooks  a 
remarkable  dream  is  recorded.  He  dreamt,  some 
months  before  he  was  called  home,  that  *  he  was  again 
at  St.  Augustine's  College,  that  he  read  once  more  the 
names  on  the  cloister  walls,  and  also  in  the  Memorial 
Chapel.  Then  he  noticed  on  one  of  the  walls  a  space 
reserved  exclusivly  for  the  names  of  martyrs  who  had 
belonged  to  the  college.  As  he  gazed  at  the  space 
he  noticed  no  name  thereon,  until  gradually  as  he 
looked  some  letters  stood  out  upon  the  wall,  and  he 
read  the  characters  which  spelled  his  own  name.'  In 
the  light  of  subsequent  events,  this  seems  rather  a 
startling  coincidence.  It  was  a  subject  on  which  Mr. 
Brooks  frequently  dwelt.  He  certainly  had  a  pre- 
sentiment that  he  would  die  a  violent  death,  and  that 
as  a  witness  for  the  Faith. 

On  Friday,  December  29,  1899,  Mr.  Brooks  started  on 
his  fateful  journey.  He  rode  a  donkey,  and  had  a  lad 
as  donkey  driver  with  him.  He  passed  a  night  on  the 
road,  and  the  next  day  arrived  at  a  village  called  Chang- 
chia-tien,  within  a  comparatively  short  distance  of  his 
destination.  Here  he  was  set  upon  by  a  band  of 
ruffians,  pulled  off  his  donkey,  and  led  along  outside 
the  village.  He  managed  to  escape  from  his  captors,  and, 
being  an  athlete,  he  ran  for  his  life,  and  soon  out- 
distanced his  pursuers  ;  but  men  on  horseback  started 
in  pursuit,  and,  having  overtaken  him,  they  immediately 
cut  him  down  with  their  swords  and  decapitated  him, 
and  then  threw  his  body  into  a  ravine  by  the  road- 
side. 

Thus  passed  away  the  brave  spirit  of  a  young  soldier 


Character  of  Mr.  Brooks  ii 

of  Christ,  the  first  martyr  who  perished  under  the  rule 
of  Yii  Hsien,  who  was  then  Governor  of  Shantung. 
Mr.  Brooks's  body  was  subsequently  recovered  by  his 
colleague,  Mr.  Matthews,  and  with  the  red  cross  of 
martyrdom  placed  upon  his  breast,  he  was  laid  in  the 
tomb  at  Ping-Yin  till  the  dawn  of  the  resurrection 
morn. 

His  colleague,  the  Rev.  H.  Matthews,  thus  writes  of 
Mr.  Brooks :  *  He  was  very  dear  to  me,  and  it  was  to  no 
small  extent  due  to  his  wish  to  be  with  me  in  the  time 
of  great  anxiety  that  he  laid  down  his  life  in  martyrdom. 
I  wrote  most  strongly  to  Brown  to  keep  him  back,  but 
he  felt  it  his  duty  to  come,  with  this  terrible  result. 
What  a  New  Year  to  him  !  It  was  on  New  Year's 
Day  we  heard  of  his  death.  He  was  a  bright  and 
happy  fellow,  very  cheerful,  and  a  most  lovable  com- 
panion. He  himself  is  at  rest,  and  I  know  that  he  was 
not  unwilling  to  lay  down  his  life  in  martyrdom.' 

As  a  result  of  the  trial  which  took  place  three  months 
after  the  murder,  in  presence  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Campbell, 
British  Consul,  who  was  commissioned  to  act  as  assessor, 
two  men  were  executed,  one  was  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  another  for  ten  years,  and  a  fifth  to 
exile  for  two  years.  Besides  this,  a  sum  of  9000  taels 
(about  ;^i5oo)  was  paid  for  erecting  a  memorial  church 
at  Ping- Yin ;  another  memorial  at  St.  Augustine's 
College,  Canterbury  ;  and  the  head  men  of  the  village 
where  Mr.  Brooks  was  captured  were  fined  500  taels 
(about  £70)  for  the  erection  of  a  memorial  tablet  under 
a  stone  pavilion  on  the  spot  where  the  murder  took 
place. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Brooks,  so  sad  in  itself,  so  cruel 
a  blow  to  the  sorrowing  relatives,  was  in  the  providence 
of  God  used  as  a  means  for  the  preservation  of  the  lives 


12  The  First  Martyrs 

of  many  missionaries  scattered  throughout  the  province 
of  Shantung. 

Owing  to  the  energetic  protests  of  the  American 
Minister  at  Peking,  backed  as  we  understand  by  the 
representations  of  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  the  infamous 
Yii  Hsien  was  removed  from  the  Governorship  of 
Shantung,  and  by  this  means  was  prevented  from 
continuing,  for  the  time  at  least,  the  policy  of  active 
encouragement  of  the  Boxer  movement  w^hich  led  to 
the  death  of  Mr.  Brooks.  This,  if  persevered  in,  would 
certainly  have  led  to  wholesale  massacre  of  foreigners, 
and  destruction  of  property  in  Shantung,  as  actually 
occurred  in  the  province  of  Shansi,  to  which  he  was 
afterwards  transferred.  That  Yii  Hsien  was  thus  allowed 
to  continue  the  career  which  ended  in  so  terrible  a 
calamity  in  Shansi,  is  a  blot  on  the  action  of  the 
diplomatists  which  brings  disgrace  on  the  Governments 
represented. 

The  succession  in  place  of  Yii  Hsien  of  the  enlightened 
Governor,  Yuan  Shih  Kai,  to  the  governorship  of  Shan- 
tung was,  indeed,  the  salvation  of  that  province,  so  far  as 
the  interests  of  foreign  missionaries  and  their  converts 
were  concerned.  True,  the  evil  effects  of  the  policy  of 
the  previous  governor  could  not  be  easily  reversed,  and, 
owing  to  the  encouragement  from  Peking  which  the 
Boxer  leaders  in  Shantung  received,  they  were  able  for  a 
time  to  defy  all  the  efforts  of  H.  E.  Yuan  to  keep  them 
under  control  ;  and  thus  much  damage  to  property  of 
foreigners  and  natives  alike  was  the  result.  In  the  case 
of  Christian  natives  there  was  grievous  loss  of  life, 
especially  in  northern  districts  on  the  borders  of  the 
province  of  Chih-li.  Yet  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that 
but  for  the  interposition  of  the  restraining  influence 
exercised  by  a  ruler   so  powerful  as  Yuan   Shih   Kai, 


Harry  Norman  13 

the  province  of  Shantung  would  have  been,  in  all 
human  probability,  a  scene  of  carnage  and  cruelty  as 
bad  perhaps  as  the  ill-fated  province  of  Shansi. 

Those  whose  lot  as  missionaries  in  the  interior  of 
Shantung  exposed  them  to  peculiar  peril,  have  every 
reason  to  thank  God  that  in  His  over-ruling  providence 
the  death  of  Mr.  Brooks  was  used  as  the  means  of 
their  salvation.  They  have  every  reason  also  to 
remember  him  who  at  the  cost  of  his  life  secured  for 
them  changes  which  are  at  the  present  time  of  very 
great  value  to  the  cause  of  missions  in  the  province 
of  Shantung. 

Thus  this  young  life,  may  we  not  say,  so  far  from 
being  wasted,  was  spent  to  the  best  account,  and  has 
been  used  of  God  in  a  marvellous  way  to  further  the 
interests  of  His  Kingdom,  a  cause  to  which  Mr.  Brooks 
had  freely  dedicated  it. 

The  second  murderous  outbreak  occurred  at  Yung- 
ch'ing,  and  the  following  sketch  of  those  who  suffered 
there  is  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  Frank  L.  Norris. 

'  Harry  Norman  was  the  son  of  a  working  man 
who  lived  at  Portland,  near  Weymouth,  in  the  south 
of  England.  When  his  school  days  were  over,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  carpenter,  and  so  learned  the  trade 
that  was  to  be  useful  to  him  long  afterwards  in  China. 
His  naturally  enthusiastic  spirit  was  kindled  into  a 
great  longing  to  help  in  mission  work.  He  was  at 
this  time  teaching  in  a  National  school  at  Dorchester, 
and  when  the  wish  of  his  heart  was  made  known, 
the  Dorset  Missionary  Studentship  Association  helped 
him  to  go  to  Warminster,  where  from  1888  to  1890 
he  was  trained  for  missionary  work  at  St.  Boniface 
College. 

*  While  at  Warminster  Norman  attended  lectures  in 


14  The  First  Martyrs 

medicine,  and  showed  such  aptitude  that  it  seemed 
well  worth  while  to  enable  him  to  go  for  six  months' 
further  training  at  Salisbury  Infirmary,  before  he  came 
out  to  China.  I  remember  times  when  the  compound 
at  Yung-ch'ing  would  be  full  of  out-patients  who  came 
to  be  treated  by  him,  although  he  had  hardly  any 
instruments,  and  very  scanty  drugs. 

'  In  the  autumn  of  1891  he  came  out  to  Chefoo,  and 
in  April  1892  he  was  ordained  deacon  in  Peking,  where 
he  worked  for  five  years.  He  threw  himself  into  the 
work  of  the  boys'  school,  and  his  resistless  energy  is 
well  exemplified  in  the  two  following  instances.  One 
of  his  boys  hurt  his  leg  in  jumping  off  a  wall,  when 
Mr.  Norman  was  away.  He  was  taken  to  an  American 
Mission  Hospital,  where  the  injury  was  found  to  be 
such  that  the  leg  had  to  be  taken  off  at  once  above 
the  knee.  The  poor  little  fellow  was  very  weak,  and 
the  operation — the  one  chance  of  saving  his  life — seemed 
likely  to  have  ended  it.  His  father  came  up  from  the 
country,  with  Mr.  Norman,  to  take  his  son  home,  as 
we  thought,  to  die.  Norman  himself  had  to  go  to 
bed  at  once  on  his  return,  having  been  for  some  time 
seriously  out  of  sorts.  I  urged  him  to  go  to  Chefoo 
for  the  summer,  as  his  doctor  strongly  recommended  ; 
but  I  was  rather  surprised  when,  after  resisting  the 
suggestion  for  two  or  three  days,  he  was  suddenly  con- 
verted to  its  immediate  importance.  And  for  twenty- 
four  hours  I  was  left  in  the  dark  as  to  the  cause. 
Then,  on  the  very  day  we  were  to  start,  I  understood 
it.  For  there,  in  a  cart  ready  to  go  with  us  to  the 
station,  was  the  little  one-legged  schoolboy,  so  weak 
that  Mr.  Norman  carried  him  in  his  arms  from  the 
cart  to  the  train,  from  the  train  to  the  steamer,  and 
from  the  steamer's  side  at  Chefoo  to  the  mission  house 


Norman's  Influence  Over  Boys       15 

there.  But  he  saved  the  boy's  life,  and  he  returned  a 
bonny,  healthy  boy,  on  crutches  made  by  Mr.  Norman 
himself,  and  is  now  married  and  living  happily  at 
home. 

*The  other  instance  is  equally  characteristic.  One 
of  our  older  schoolboys  was  due  to  leave  school.  He 
was  a  dunce  at  his  books,  and  not  very  popular,  and 
disinclined  for  farm  work  after  five  or  six  years  at 
school.  Mr.  Norman  said  he  would  make  a  good 
carpenter,  and  when  we  pointed  out  the  failure  of 
previous  attempts  to  launch  our  schoolboys  in  that 
way,  we  were  told  we,  and  not  they,  were  to  blame 
for  it.  Honestly,  I  think  we  all  felt  the  experiment 
had  been  tried  and  failed,  and  was  not  worth  trying 
again.  But  then  we  were  not  Normans.  He  taught 
the  boy,  he  made  us  give  him  little  orders, — the  table 
he  made  for  me  was  a  curiosity, — he  apprenticed  him 
(at  his  own  expense)  to  a  Peking  carpenter,  and  when 
he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  result,  as  we  had  been  in 
former  days,  he  sent  the  boy,  at  his  own  expense,  to 
Chefoo,  and  apprenticed  him  there  to  one  of  the  best 
carpenters  in  North  China,  Tong  Hing,  where  he  kept 
him  for  three  years.  The  boy  is  now  making  twelve 
dollars  a  month,  and  has  taught  two  other  Christian 
boys  his  trade.  He  was  Norman's  head  carpenter  at 
Yung-ch'ing  in  building  his  church  rooms  and  furnish- 
ing them,  and  we  have  found  him  very  useful  at  Tientsin 
in  the  same  capacity.  But  he  owes  his  skill  entirely  to 
Norman's  invincible  perseverance. 

*  In  1897,  Norman  went  to  Yung-ch'ing,  fifty  miles 
south  of  Peking,  to  live;  and  in  the  autumn  he  was 
joined  there  by  Charles  Robinson.  He  at  once  began 
to  inspire  the  school  work  there  with  fresh  life.  "  Mr. 
Norman,"  wrote  the  Bishop  a  year  later,  "is  indefatig- 


1 6  The  First  Martyrs 

able,  as  in  his  general  work,  so  especially,  perhaps,  in 
the  pains  he  takes  with  his  boys."  And  he  himself 
ended  an  appeal  for  help  at  the  same  time  with  the 
words,  "  Whatever  is  done  will  not  be  done  in  vain ; 
the  future  Church  in  China  will  reap  the  advantage. 
*  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  that  he  should  go,  and 
when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it.' "  But  he 
did  not  neglect  other  work  for  the  school.  In  1898, 
through  "  the  black  clouds  of  political  trouble,"  which 
he  thought  "affected  our  work  very  considerably,"  he 
increased  the  roll  of  communicants  by  twenty-five  per 
cent.  Between  December  25,  1898,  and  January  6, 
1899,  he  "celebrated  the  Holy  Communion  eight  times, 
communicated  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  people, 
and  travelled  about  three  hundred  and  eighty  miles." 
On  July  6,  1899,  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^  completion  of  a  district 
church,  now  in  ruins,  of  which  he  wrote :  "  We  cannot 
boast  of  a  church  built  entirely  by  native  money,  but 
we  can  truly  say  that  most  of  the  Christians  did  as 
much  as  we  could  expect,  and  some  even  more.  For 
they  gave  us  of  their  money  to  buy,  they  lent  their 
beasts  of  burden  to  draw  materials,  and  as  many  as 
could  be  spared  from  farming  occupations  came  and 
helped  as  labourers." 

'  Mr.  Charles  Robinson  was  also  trained  at  St. 
Boniface  College,  Warminster,  where  he  had  gone  in 
1895  from  Leeds.  He  was  well  known  and  much 
respected  in  his  own  parish  at  Wortley,  near  Leeds, 
and  two  years'  steady  work  at  St.  Boniface  College 
made  us  hope  that  he  would  be  a  great  help  to  the  work 
in  China. 

*  The  first  impression  he  produced  was  that  of  an 
extraordinarily  methodical  worker.  And  he  worked 
at  his  Chinese  with  a  curious  unselfishness.     He  was 


THE    FIRST    MARTYRS. 


A    BOXER   IX    1900. 
CHARLES    ROBINSON. 


S.    M.    W.    BROOKS. 
H.    V.    XORMAX. 


[To  face  page  17. 


Charles  Robinson  17 

engaged  to  be  married,  and  all  through  the  dull  grind 
of  learning  the  language  in  its  first  stages,  he  thought 
and  planned  how  he  could  make  it  easier  and  simpler 
for  his  intended  wife. 

'  He  came  to  meet  me  at  Chefoo,  on  my  return  from 
England,  in  March  1900.  His  intended  bride,  Miss 
Rule,  had  left  home  with  me,  and  had  died  at  sea 
near  Colombo.  I  had,  of  course,  wired  the  news  to 
Peking,  but  the  Bishop  had  rightly  encouraged  Mr. 
Robinson  to  proceed  to  Chefoo  to  meet  us,  and  so 
to  hear  as  soon  as  possible  the  details  of  her  death. 
What  impressed  me  was  his  perfect  self-control,  due, 
if  one  was  to  judge  by  little  indications,  to  an 
absolute  conviction  that  God's  ways  are  always  best. 
He  had  had  an  almost  prophetic  intuition  of  what 
was  coming.  I  remember  his  saying  to  me,  as  we 
walked  up  and  down  together,  "After  all,  it  is  best 
as  it  is.  I  shall  be  freer  when  the  trouble  comes  at 
Yung-ch'ing;  I  could  not  face  it  with  her."  In  two 
months  it  had  come,  and  I  doubt  not  that  she  was 
among  the  first  to  welcome  him  on  the  other  side. 

'Trouble  had  threatened  in  that  district  for  some 
little  time,  and  Mr.  Norman  repeatedly  urged  the 
British  Consul  in  Tientsin  to  make  the  Viceroy  send 
troops  to  disperse  the  gathering  Boxer  bands.  But 
no  effective  measures — if  any — were  taken,  and  things 
looked  darker  every  day  as  the  month  of  May  wore 
on.  Norman  and  Robinson  were  urged  to  escape; 
the  former  refused,  and  the  latter  expressed  his  deter- 
mination to  stick  to  his  comrade. 

'  Norman's  courage  in  remaining  at  his  post  was  in 
my  opinion  entirely  justified  by  the  chance  it  offered 
of  overawing  the  local  Boxers,  who  at  that  time  still 
feared   the   foreigners   somewhat,  and   by  the   time   it 

2 


1 8  The  First  Martyrs 

afforded  for  some  of  the  Christians  to  seek  safety. 
Moreover,  if  the  magistrate  had  done  his  duty,  neither 
Norman  nor  Robinson  would  have  lost  their  lives. 

'Very  early  on  June  i,  the  attack  began  on  our 
Christians  in  two  villages,  distant  half  a  mile  and  one 
and  a  half  miles  respectively  from  the  city.  By  daylight 
the  Boxers  were  at  the  doors  of  our  own  compound. 
The  two  or  three  Christians  there  were  urged  by  Mr. 
Norman  to  save  themselves,  and  he  and  Mr.  Robinson 
did  the  technically  correct  thing  in  flying  for  refuge 
to  the  Magistrate's  Yamen.  But  when  the  Boxers 
demanded  their  surrender,  they  were  forced  to  leave 
the  Yamen  by  a  back  way,  and  denied  a  promised 
asylum  in  the  Confucian  Temple,  and  compelled  to 
escape  as  best  they  could.  Charles  Robinson  was 
killed  in  a  moment,  inside  the  north  gate  of  the  city, 
and,  later  in  the  day,  the  magistrate,  terrified  for  the 
consequences  of  his  own  cowardice,  gathered  the  re- 
mains in  a  coffin.  Norman  had  managed  to  get 
outside  the  city,  but  was  almost  immediately  found 
and  taken  prisoner.  For  twenty-four  terrible  hours 
he  lived  to  bear  witness  how  a  Christian  could  face 
death;  and  then  was  released  from  captivity  and 
from  life,  and  passed  to  his  reward  in  heaven.  His 
body  was  hurriedly  buried  under  a  tree,  not  far 
from  the  spot  where  he  was  murdered,  and  there  it 
is  to-day,  with  that  of  Charles  Robinson  and  one  of 
our  native  catcehists  alongside  of  it,  in  a  portion  of 
ground  which  will  for  long  years  to  come  be  the 
Christian  cemetery  of  the  Yung-ch'ing  Church.  May 
their  example  help  us  to  be  more  like  them  ! ' 


CHAPTER   III 

The  Massacre  at  Pao-ting-fu^ 

Pao-TING-FU,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Chih-li, 
is  situated  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  south- 
west of  Peking.  The  district  in  the  vicinity  of  Peking 
is  known  as  the  Metropolitan  district,  and,  together 
with  the  capital  of  the  empire,  has  a  governmental 
system  entirely  separate  from  the  provincial  govern- 
ment of  Chih-li,  to  which  province  it  geographically 
belongs.  Chih-li  is  governed  by  a  Viceroy  (for 
many  years  the  Viceroy  was  the  famous  Li  Hung 
Chang) ;  and  for  convenience  of  administration  the 
Viceroy  resides  in  the  city  of  Tientsin,  as  being  the 
most  important  centre  for  trade.  The  presence  of 
many  foreign  residents  gives  it  also  more  importance 
than  Pao-ting-fu,  the  proper  provincial  capital. 

Though  the  Boxer  Society  had  its  origin  in  Shantung, 
its  first  outbreak  on  any  large  scale  was  in  the  villages 
about  Pao-ting-fu,  whence  it  ravaged  along  the  railway 
known  as  the  Lu  Han  line,  the  great  trunk  line  route 
between  Peking  and  Hankow,  then  in  course  of  con- 
struction. The  engineers,  with  their  wives  and  families, 
were  driven  off,  and  had  to  force  their  way  to  Tientsin 
by  desperate  fighting,  in  which  some  lost  their  lives. 

^  For  biographical  details  of  the  missionaries  referred  to  in  this  chapter, 

see  pp.  412-424. 

19 


20        The  Massacre  of  Pao-ting-fu 

All  the  stations  on  the  new  line  were  wrecked,  and  at 
Feng  tai,  the  immense  new  workshops,  built  for  the 
construction  of  the  railway,  were  entirely  destroyed. 
The  Boxers,  gaining  courage  from  their  efforts,  swept 
all  before  them,  and  swarmed  down  on  Pao-ting-fu. 

For  the  story  of  the  massacre  we  follow  mainly  the 
account  of  the  Rev.  J.  Walter  Lowrie,  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Mission,  who  belonged  to  the  station  of 
Pao-ting-fu,  but,  fortunately,  happened  to  be  absent 
when  the  final  catastrophe  came. 

In  the  spring  of  1900  there  were  some  thirty-two  of  the 
Protestant  missionary  community,  including  women  and 
children,  resident  in  Pao-ting-fu.  These  were  distributed 
in  three  compounds.  Two  of  these,  the  American  Board 
and  the  China  Inland  Missions,  were  situated  south  of 
the  city,  and  distant  from  the  city  gate  half  a  mile  or 
more,  and  from  each  other  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ; 
the  third,  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  was 
located  north  of  the  city  about  a  mile.  The  Roman 
Catholics  had  a  fine  pile  of  buildings,  including  a  hand- 
some church,  priests'  residences,  and  schools. 

On  June  i,  1900,  many  of  the  Protestant  missionaries 
were  absent  from  their  station,  some  being  in  the  United 
States  and  others  elsewhere  in  China.  There  were  in 
all  fifteen  left  at  Pao-ting-fu,  one  being  Mr.  William 
Cooper,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  Shanghai,  who 
was  there  on  a  visit.  The  remainder  consisted  of  five 
men,  five  women,  and  four  children.  Belonging  to  the 
American  Presbyterian  Mission  were  Dr.  G.  Y.  Taylor, 
Rev.  F.  E.  S.  Simcox,  Mrs.  Simcox,  and  three  children, 
and  Dr.  C.  V.  R.  and  Mrs.  Hodge.  Of  the  American 
Board  were  Rev.  H.  T.  Pitkin,  Miss  M.  S.  Morrill,  and  Miss 
A.  A.  Gould.  Of  the  China  Inland  Mission  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B.  Bagnall  and  one  child,  and  Mr.  W.  Cooper. 


Murder  of  Pastor  Meng  21 

All  communication  by  road    was  destroyed  before 
June   8,    1900,    but   protection   was    promised   by   the 
authorities.     The  Boxers  often  said  they  had  no  ill-will 
to  Protestant  missionaries;  still  they  grew  more  violent 
in    the    country    round    about,    and    the    missionaries 
telegraphed    frequently    to    Tientsin   and    Peking    for 
military    protection.      This   the   Viceroy,    Yii   Lu,    re- 
peatedly  promised,  and  some  soldiers  were  sent  as  a 
guard,  but  were  soon  withdrawn.      As  the  impending 
danger  became   more  threatening,  the  city  authorities 
suggested  to  the  missionaries  to  come  within  the  walls 
and   occupy   a   rented    house    in    the    city.     But    the 
missionaries,  fearing  that  if  they  abandoned  the  mission 
premises,  these  would  be  destroyed,  decided  to  remain 
where  they  were.     They  were  advised  to   put  up  the 
notice,    in     large     characters,    the    words    'Protestant 
Mission,'  and  this  was  done. 

About  June  24  some  of  the  servants  and  helpers  fled, 
but  others,  with  splendid  fidelity,  remained  to  the  end, 
and  perished  with  their  foreign  friends.  About  that 
time  a  ferocious  edict  was  issued  inciting  the  people  to 
kill  the  foreigners  and  to  destroy  their  property.  This 
was  all  that  was  needed  to  encourage  the  Boxers  to 
begin  their  operations. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Thursday,  June  28,  1900,  while 
Pastor  Meng,  of  the  American  Board  Mission,  was 
packing  the  books  in  the  street  chapel  within  the  city, 
preparatory  to  removing  everything  and  sealing  up  the 
premises,  he  was  suddenly  seized  and  bound,  and  carried 
off  to  a  temple  occupied  by  the  Boxers.  Mr.  Pitkin 
sent  his  card  to  the  Yamen  to  secure  Meng's  release, 
but  in  vain.  After  a  night  of  suffering,  he  was  beheaded, 
and  his  body  thrown  into  a  ditch 'behind  the  temple. 
His     body    was    afterwards    recovered,    and    received 


2  2        The  Massacre  of  Pao-ting-fu 

decent  Christian  burial  at  the  hands  of  his  native 
brethren  in  Christ. 

On  the  day  of  Pastor  Meng's  arrest,  Dr.  Taylor  had 
made  his  regular  visit  to  the  city  dispensary  in  the 
north  street.  Some  native  college  men,  frequent  patients 
of  his,  came  in  a  body,  and  with  tears  in  their  eyes 
expressed  their  inability  to  help  him.  They  themselves 
narrowly  escaped  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Boxers 
later  on.  Dr.  Taylor  shed  tears  with  them  for  a 
moment,  then  recovering  himself,  bade  them  good-bye, 
and,  closing  the  dispensary  door  with  his  accustomed 
self-control,  he  returned  with  peaceful  countenance  to 
sustain  the  hearts  of  the  younger  missionaries  at  his 
home.  He  never  betrayed  the  slightest  fear  during 
these  trying  days,  but,  with  amazing  cheerfulness, 
diverted  the  ladies  and  strengthened  the  courage  of  his 
colleagues.  They  thought  of  fleeing  southward  by  cart, 
and  drew  all  their  silver  from  the  native  bank ;  it 
appears,  however,  that  they  could  not  get  a  carter 
who  could  be  induced  to  risk  the  journey. 

On  the  morning  of  June  27  an  officer  came  from 
the  Yamen  to  ask  Dr.  Taylor  to  give  up  the  keys  of  his 
city  dispensary,  so  that  the  furniture  and  medicines  could 
be  removed  to  a  safe  place,  for  fear  of  the  Boxers  looting 
them.  These  he  gave ;  and  to  the  officer's  suggestion  that 
he  should  appeal  to  some  of  his  friends  among  the  gentry 
for  protection,  Dr.  Taylor  answered  with  a  sigh,  '  My 
gentry  friends  are  only  friends  in  the  dispensary  ;  they 
will  do  nothing  for  me  now.  My  only  real  friend  is 
President  Wu-ru-sun,  and  he  can  with  difficulty  preserve 
his  own  life.'  President  Wu  had  in  fact  fled  alone  and 
in  disguise  from  the  city  that  very  morning. 

The  dispensary  furniture  was  removed,  the  Chinese 
attendants    fleeing    to    the    country    that    day ;    they 


Missionaries  Burned  Alive  23 

returned,  however,  on  the  following  day  to  the  mission 
compound,  and  there  met  their  death.  One  escaped 
southward  with  a  little  boy,  a  son  of  a  relative  who  had 
been  entrusted  to  his  care  ;  he  had  a  son  of  his  own  also 
with  him.  He  found  that  he  could  not  save  the  two 
boys,  and  after  a  mental  conflict  he  concluded  to  leave 
his  own  son  with  friends,  and  endeavour  to  escape  with 
the  son  of  his  relative.  He  was  able  to  escape,  and  in 
due  time  arrived  at  his  relative's  house,  and  delivered  up 
his  charge  safe  and  sound  in  his  own  home. 

On  June  30,  a  mob  of  Boxers  and  rabble  from  the 
streets  bent  on  pillage  came  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the 
Presbyterian  Mission  compound.  They  piled  stubble 
against  the  outer  gate,  fired  it,  and  soon  reduced  it  to 
ashes.  Then  they  looted  the  hospital,  chapel,  and  Mr. 
Miller's  house,  and  also  the  houses  of  Mrs.  Lowrie  and 
Dr.  Hodge,  setting  fire  to  each  before  the  contents  were 
entirely  removed. 

The  natives    in    the   compound— two  faithful  gate- 
keepers, some  servants,  and  two  old  women  and  some 
children— were  either  killed  or  driven  to  leap  into  the 
well  ;  while  two  of  the  foreigners  with  a  rifle  and  shot- 
gun held  the  crowd  at  bay  from  the  windows  of  the 
house  of  Mr.  Simcox,  where  they  had  all  fled  for  refuge. 
The  leading  Boxer  was  killed  by  the  shot,  but  finally 
the  crowd  succeeded  in   firing  the  building  itself,  and 
all  the  inmates  perished   in  the  flames.      Mr   Simcox 
was  seen  walking  to  and  fro,  hand  in  hand  with  his 
two   little   sons,   as   the   flames   enveloped   them.      Dr. 
Taylor   had    remonstrated   with    the   crowd   from    the 
window  of  his  own  room,  pleading  the  deeds  of  kind- 
ness which  they  all  had  done  so  many  times  for  the 
people;    but   it   was  unavailing,  and  he  also  perished 
in   the   flames   of  his   house.      Thus  this  noble   party 


24        The  Massacre  of  Pao-ting-fu 

passed  from  their  funeral  pyre  to  the  reward  laid  up 
for  those  who  suffer  for  Christ's  sake  and  the  Gospel's. 

Dr.  Taylor's  faithful  medical  assistant  had  received 
travelling  expenses  from  his  master,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  flee  for  his  life,  but  had  nevertheless  remained  to 
the  last.  He  was  seized  and  killed,  and  his  body,  still 
writhing  in  death  agonies,  was  buried  in  a  shallow 
grave. 

The  report  of  this  foul  massacre  soon  reached  the 
ears  of  the  other  missionaries,  so  they  had  a  little 
time  to  prepare  for  the  worst.  Mr.  Pitkin  prayed  with 
a  Chinese  school  teacher  who  was  with  him,  then  he 
wrote  some  letters,  which  were  buried  in  an  outhouse 
behind  his  residence.  His  last  words  to  the  faithful 
Chinaman  who  was  with  him  were,  '  Tell  the  mother  of 
little  Horace  to  tell  Horace  that  his  father's  last  wish 
was  that  when  he  is  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  should 
come  to  China  as  a  missionary.'  The  Chinaman,  at 
Mr.  Pitkin's  request,  then  leaped  over  the  wall,  and 
managed  finally  to  escape. 

Next  morning,  in  the  middle  of  pouring  rain,  the 
compound  was  attacked.  Soon  the  gate  was  burst 
open,  and  the  crowd,  aided  by  Imperial  soldiery, 
rushed  in  and  surrounded  the  chapel,  where  Mr.  Pitkin, 
Miss  Morrill,  and  Miss  Gould  had  fled.  Through 
the  window  Mr.  Pitkin  fired  on  the  mob  till  his 
ammunition  was  exhausted,  then  Mr.  Pitkin  and 
the  two  ladies  leaped  through  a  near  window  of  the 
church  into  the  schoolyard,  and  took  refuge  in  a  small 
room  there.  They  were  soon  found,  and  Mr.  Pitkin's 
head  was  severed  from  his  body  by  a  sword  stroke. 
The  ladies  were  rudely  seized  by  the  brutal  mob. 
Miss  Gould  became  powerless  with  excitement,  and  fell 
motionless  to  the  ground.      Her  hands  and  feet  were 


Murders  Outside  the  Walls  25 

bound,  and  by  means  of  a  pole  she  was  carried  to  a 
temple  which  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Boxers. 
Miss  Morrill  exhorted  the  people  as  she  walked  along 
to  the  temple,  and  even  gave  some  silver  to  a  poor 
creature  in  the  crowd.  They  were  detained  in  the 
temple  some  time,  and  while  there  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bagnall  and  their  little  daughter  Gladys,  with  Mr. 
W.  Cooper,  were  also  brought  to  the  same  place. 

It  seems  that  this  latter  party,  hearing  and  seeing 
what  was  going  on  in  the  neighbouring  mission 
compound  not  half  a  mile  away,  had  made  a  hasty 
collection  of  money  and  valuables  and  fled  to  the 
Imperial  military  camp  near  their  house,  hoping  that 
the  soldiers  would  at  least  permit  them  to  pass  on 
towards  Tientsin.  The  colonel  in  charge,  named 
Wang  Ch'an  Kuei,  instead  of  helping  them,  deprived 
the  party  of  all  the  money  and  valuables  they  had, 
and  then  handed  them  over  to  the  provincial  judge, 
who  in  turn  delivered  them  to  the  Boxers. 

The  Boxers,  after  detaining  the  whole  party  till  the 
afternoon  in  the  temple,  finally  led  them  outside  the 
city  to  the  south-east  corner  of  the  city  wall.  They 
were  led  in  a  line  by  the  Boxers,  by  means  of  a  rope 
passed  round  and  tied  to  the  uplifted  hands  of  Mr. 
Bagnall,  and  thence  fastened  round  his  neck.  Each 
member  of  the  party  was  similarly  tied,  and  attached 
to  the  one  in  front,  except  little  Gladys  Bagnall,  who  was 
allowed  to  walk  freely  at  the  side.  Guns  were  fired  and 
demonstrations  made  until  they  reached  a  large  mound, 
said  to  have  been  the  grave  of  a  Boxer  previously  killed 
in  one  of  the  many  attacks  on  the  native  Christians. 
There  they  were  all  beheaded,  except  little  Gladys,  who 
was  thrust  through  with  a  sword.  They  were  all  buried 
in  one  grave. 


2  6         The  Massacre  at  Pao-ting-fu 

On  the  arrival  of  the  foreign  troops,  some  three  and  a 
half  months  later,  it  was  found  that  these  remains  had 
been  much  disturbed,  and  were  seemingly  undis- 
tinguishable.  But  kindly  hands  amongst  the  friendly 
natives  of  the  neighbourhood  had  evidently  reburied 
the  bodies  as  they  became  exposed  to  view.  With 
regard  to  this  subject,  Dr.  Edwards  writes,  in  a  letter 
dated  February  23,  1901,  as  follows  : — *  Yesterday 
we  recovered  the  remains  of  those  killed,  and 
placed  them  in  coffins ;  we  found  only  the  skeleton 
of  one  headless  body,  which  was  recognised  by 
some  garments  on  it  as  that  of  Miss  Gould.  There  was 
also  part  of  another  body.  In  the  same  pit  were  seven 
heads,  six  foreign  and  one  Chinese ;  and  these  were  all 
recognised  by  some  distinguishing  mark.  Even  dear 
little  Gladys  Bagnall  had  been  beheaded,  but  whether 
before  or  after  death  we  could  not  tell.  Mr.  Bagnall 
and  Mr.  Cooper  had  both  been  tightly  bound  round 
the  head  with  a  rope  which  passed  over  the  eyes,  so 
tight  was  it  that  when  removed  it  left  quite  a  distinct 
mark  on  the  skull.  Most  of  the  coffins  will  contain 
only  a  skull.  We  had  a  short  informal  service  outside 
the  city.' 

Mr.  Pitkin's  body  was  buried  with  those  of  a  number 
of  native  Christians  who  were  killed  on  that  fatal  day. 
Pao-ting-fu  city  has  since  been  punished  for  these 
offences  by  the  soldiers  of  the  allies.  The  provincial 
judge,  the  military  commandant,  and  the  colonel  who 
refused  aid  to  Mr.  Cooper's  party,  have  been  beheaded. 
The  gate  towers,  the  city  wall  towers,  and  a  portion 
of  the  wall  have  been  blown  up,  the  Boxer  temple 
destroyed,  and  the  gentry  have  been  fined  one  hundred 
thousand  taels  (about  £17,000  or  $85,000,  gold). 

On  Friday,  March  22,  1901,  a  party  left  Peking  for 


PAO   TING    FU   MARTYRS. 

RUINS   OF    TEMPLE    WHRKE   THE    MISSIOXARIES    WERE    IMPRISONED. 

A.    A.    GOULD.  H.    T.    PITKIN.  M.    S.    MORRILL. 

SCENE   OF    MARTYRDOM    OUTSIDE   THE   WALLS. 

[To  face  p.  26. 


Memorial  Services  27 

Pao-ting-fu  over  the  newly  reopened  Lu-han  railway 
line.  The  train  passed  through  a  breach  in  the  Peking 
city  wall,  and  thence  southwards  to  the  Lu  K'ou 
bridge,  without  going  near  Feng  t'ai,  the  former  junction. 
All  the  railway  stations  along  the  line,  except  one  or 
two  near  T'ao  teng  fu,  had  been  destroyed  in  the  recent 
troubles. 

The  object  of  this  visit  to  Pao-ting-fu  was  to  attend 
the  memorial  service  for  the  Protestant  missionaries  who 
were  killed  there  last  year.  Rev.  J.  Walter  Lowrie,  of 
the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  and  Dr.  A.  Peck,  of 
the  American  Board  Mission,  had  made  all  necessary 
arrangements  to  this  end.  The  provincial  and  city 
officials  had  also  exerted  themselves  to  make  everything 
as  comfortable  as  possible  for  the  visitors.  They  had 
fitted  up  rooms  at  their  own  expense,  provided  with 
furniture  sufficient  for  all  the  party  needing  accommoda- 
tion. On  the  night  of  their  arrival  they  sent  red  cards, 
with  four  sheep,  forty  fowls,  two  hundred  pears,  and  five 
hundred  eggs,  besides  furnishing  a  quantity  of  foreign 
stores. 

The  first  service  was  on  Saturday,  March  23,  on  the 
ruins  of  the  Presbyterian  compound,  which  had  been 
utterly  destroyed  by  the  Boxers.  A  mat-shed  had 
been  erected  in  the  usual  manner  of  Chinese  funerals, 
and  under  it  the  company,  which  included  some  Chinese 
officials,  were  shortly  assembled,  and  where  an  interest- 
ing and  impressive  ceremony  was  held,  conducted,  in 
this  case,  mostly  in  the  English  language.  As  no 
remains  of  the  bodies  were  found,  the  whole  party 
having  perished  in  the  flames  of  the  burning  houses 
where  they  had  assembled,  there  were  no  coffins  pre- 
pared, and  there  was,  of  course,  no  burial  service  other 
than   the   memorial   service   described   above.     At  the 


2  8         The  Massacre  at  Pao-ting-lu 

close  of  the  service  each  of  the  Chinese  officials  came 
forward  and  saluted  the  memorial  tablets  and  inscrip- 
tions with  which  the  mat  pavilion  was  decorated.  The 
number  of  native  Christians  belonging  to  the  Presby- 
terian Mission  who  suffered  martyrdom  about  the  same 
time  was,  so  far  as  known,  about  thirty.  Many  of  them, 
however,  having  died  at  a  distance  from  the  city,  the 
recovery  of  their  bodies  was  impossible. 

On  the  following  day  —  Sunday,  March  24  —  the 
services  for  the  martyrs  of  the  American  Board  and 
China  Inland  Missions  were  held  in  a  large  Chinese 
compound  at  no  great  distance  from  the  place  formerly 
occupied  by  the  mission  ;  the  mission  compounds  them- 
selves being  in  ruins,  and  only  a  few  of  the  walls  remain- 
ing. The  officials,  observing  that  at  the  service  on  the 
previous  day  a  large  company  assembled,  provided  still 
more  ample  accommodation  in  the  way  of  mat-sheds  for 
those  who  might  come  on  this  occasion. 

In  one  of  the  mat-sheds  were  twenty-six  coffins,  con- 
taining the  remains  of  the  foreign  martyrs  of  the  China 
Inland  and  American  Board  Missions,  and  the  bodies  of 
some  of  the  Chinese  who  had  perished  about  the  same 
time. 

The  service  held  was  similar  to  that  of  the  preceding 
day,  and  the  attendance  included  those  already  men- 
tioned and  others  who  made  it  their  business  to  be 
present. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  burial  proper 
took  place,  at  a  cemetery  newly  acquired  on  a  large 
plot  of  land  lying  between  the  former  American  Board 
Mission  compound  and  their  hospital  premises.  Only 
six  catafalques  remained  in  the  city,  and  all  of  them 
were  voluntarily  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  missions 
without  charge.     The  remaining  coffins  were  otherwise 


Memorial  Services  29 

transported  to  the  graves,  and  the  long  and  imposing 
procession,  headed  by  screens,  banners,  and  mottoes, 
passed  through  the  entire  length  of  the  south  suburb  to 
the  south  gate,  and  then  by  a  devious  route  to  the 
cemetery,  and  was  witnessed  in  respectful  silence  by 
thousands  of  spectators. 

Without  previous  intention,  the  day  in  each  of 
these  funeral  services  turned  out  to  be  exactly  nine 
months  after  the  massacres.  The  contrast  between 
the  tumultuous  rioting  of  that  terrible  occasion  and  the 
Sabbath  stillness  of  this,  was  among  the  most  striking 
contrasts  of  this  extraordinary  experience.  A  few 
simple  words  at  the  graves  concluded  the  public 
ceremonies. 

At  a  late  hour  the  eighteen  foreigners  interested, 
who  included  representatives  of  four  missions,  met  at 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Lowrie  for  a  private  memorial 
service,  where  tearful  tributes  and  testimonies  were 
offered  to  the  memories  and  work  of  those  who  had 
fallen,  several  of  them  on  the  very  threshold  of  life's 
task,  and  others  after  decades  of  Christian  service. 


CHAPTER   IV 

The  Tai-yuen-fu  Tragedy  ^ 

T'ai-YUEN-FU,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Shan-si, 
lies  on  the  northern  border  of  a  fertile  plain,  3000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea;  this  plain,  which  extends 
for  about  two  thousand  square  miles,  owes  its  existence 
to  the  gradual  filling  up  of  a  lake,  the  waters  which 
were  once  held  in  it  having  gradually  cut  their  way 
out  and  left  the  river  Fan  to  drain  the  surplus. 
The  city  itself  is  not  large  in  extent  nor  of  great  im- 
portance commercially,  and  within  the  city  walls  there 
is  much  vacant  space.  The  inhabitants  have  been 
considered  intelligent  and,  in  the  matter  of  banking 
business,  enterprising.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  mild 
and  inoffensive  in  manner,  and  have  hitherto  treated 
foreigners,  whether  traveller  casually  passing  through, 
or  missionary  resident,  with  indifference,  but  seldom 
with  hostility.  Their  most  conspicuous  vice,  which 
they  share  with  the  people  of  Shan-si  generally,  is 
the  opium  habit. 

Protestant  missionary  enterprise  began  in  that  city 
in  1877,  at  the  time  of  the  great  famine  which  raged 
throughout  the  province,  and  is  said  to  have  cut 
off,   by   the    slow   process    of    starvation,    millions    of 

^  For  biographical  details  of  missionaries  referred  tojn  this  chapter,  see 

pp.  424-443' 

30 


Relief  Work  in  1877  31 

men,  women,  and  children.  Whole  villages  were 
depopulated,  and  became  a  prey  to  the  ravages  of 
wolves,  who  battened  on  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
and  dying  people.  Cannibalism  was  of  frequent 
occurrence,  and  even  the  corpses  of  some  were 
exhumed  and  eaten.  Relief  work  was  undertaken  by 
Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  missionaries  alike, 
and  was  begun  as  early  as  the  summer  of  1877. 

*  At    the    beginning    of    their   labours,'    writes    the 
Secretary  of  the  Central  Committee  in   Shanghai,  the 
late   Rev.  W.  Muirhead,  D.D.,  'the   distributors   were 
received  with  a  degree  of  prejudice  and  suspicion  which 
utterly  frustrated   any  attempt  to  prosecute  the  work. 
They  were  supposed  to  have  sinister  objects  in  view, 
and  not  only  was  their  charity  refused,  but  they  were 
even  in  imminent  danger  of  their  lives.     After  a  time, 
however,  they  bore  down  the  ill-will  and  aspersions  of 
the  people  of  all  classes,  changing  their  sentiments  and 
feelings  of  doubt  and  distrust  into  those  of  the  deepest 
gratitude  and  respect.      They  gained   the  zealous  co- 
operation of  Li  Hung  Chang,  who  was  then  Governor  of 
Chih-li,  and   the   active   countenance  and  help  of  the 
rulers  and  gentry  of  other  provinces.     Amongst  others 
who  distinguished  themselves  in  the  work  of  distribution 
may  be  mentioned  Rev.  David  Hill,  late  of  Hankow ; 
Professor  F.  H.  James,  who  was  killed  at  the  siege  in 
Peking ;  and  the  Rev.  Timothy  Richard,  D.D.,  now  of 
Shanghai. 

Thus  did  the  hand  of  charity  open  the  hearts  of 
the  people,  and  thus  was  begun  a  work  which  has  been 
nobly  carried  on  by  later  workers,  who  have  laboured 
long,  and  passed  from  us,  with  little  to  encourage  and 
much  to  depress,  but  with  a  persistence  and  enthusiasm 
which,  in  later  years,  had  begun  to  tell  in   a  marked 


32  The  Tai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

degree ;  and  there  was  promise  of  a  harvest  of  in- 
gathering into  the  Christian  Church  which  the  recent 
outburst  of  anti-foreign  hatred  only  served  to  render 
more  conspicuous. 

T'ai-yuen-fu  is  the  centre  of  the  missionary  work 
conducted  in  the  province  by  the  Shao-yang  or  North 
China  Mission,  the  EngHsh  Baptists,  and  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  The  China  Inland  Mission, 
whose  work  lies  mainly  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
province,  had  also  frequent  communication  with,  and 
interest  in,  its  capital  city. 

About  the  end  of  April  1900,  the  then  notorious 
Yii  Hsien  reached  T'ai-yuen-fu.  He  had  previously 
been  Governor  of  Shantung,  but  had  been  removed  in 
December  1899,  owing  to  the  representations  of  some 
of  the  Legations  in  Peking.  He  had  been  received, 
however,  by  the  Empress-Dowager  with  special  marks 
of  favour,  and,  in  recognition  of  his  services,  was 
appointed  to  the  governorship  of  Shan-si.  As  soon  as 
he  arrived  at  the  capital  of  his  province,  and  even  on 
the  way  thither,  the  Boxer  movement  sprang  into 
active  existence. 

Towards  the  end  of  May,  letters  began  to  come 
to  T'ai-yuen-fu  from  the  south  of  the  province  with 
the  information  that  the  Boxers  had  made  disturbances 
in  several  places.  On  receiving  this  information,  Mr. 
Farthing,  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission,  stationed  at 
T'ai-yuen-fu,  made  representations  to  the  authorities, 
pointing  out  the  danger  to  which  all  foreigners  and 
Christian  natives  were  exposed  if  these  outbreaks 
remained  unchecked.  These  representations,  however, 
seem  to  have  had  no  result.  Early  in  June,  Mrs. 
Millar  Wilson  and  child  came  from  P'ing-yang  to 
T'ai-yuen-fu,    accompanied    by   Miss    J.    Stevens   and 


Death  of  Miss  Coombs  33 

Miss  M.  Clark  from  Ho-chau,  and,  on  June  26,  Dr. 
Millar  Wilson  arrived  in  the  provincial  capital.  These 
were  all  members  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and 
unwittingly,  as  it  seems,  were  all  gathered  to  their 
doom,  which  fell  upon  them  with  startling  suddenness. 
On  June  27,  without  any  previous  warning,  a  mob 
assembled  in  front  of  the  Schofield  Memorial  Hospital, 
which  was  then  in  charge  of  Dr.  Lovitt.  On  the 
compound  at  the  time  were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lovitt  and 
child,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stokes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson, 
and  Miss  Coombs.  In  a  short  time  the  mob  began 
to  loot  the  premises,  and  proceeded  to  set  the  buildings 
on  fire.  Those  within  the  buildings,  with  the  exception 
of  Miss  Coombs,  forced  their  way  through  the  crowd, 
and  finally  succeeded  in  reaching  Mr.  Farthing's  house 
in  safety.  Miss  Coombs  had  returned  to  the  buildings 
in  order  to  help  a  little  Chinese  girl  to  escape  who  was 
a  patient  in  the  hospital.  When  leaving  the  building, 
she  was  struck  on  the  head  with  a  piece  of  iron, 
knocked  down,  and,  when  she  rose,  was  pushed  back 
into  the  burning  house,  where  she  finally  perished. 
Her  charred  remains  were,  however,  recovered  on  the 
following  day,  and  buried  in  the  courtyard. 

In  the  meantime  the  other  missionaries  had  made 
every  effort  to  secure  protection  for  those  in  such  peril, 
and  to  repress  the  rioters.  After  some  time  soldiers 
were  sent  to  the  scene  of  destruction  and  bloodshed, 
but  it  was  only  to  look  on  idly  while  the  mob  proceeded 
with  their  deadly  business.  The  missionaries  subse- 
quently made  other  efforts  to  rouse  the  authorities  to  a 
sense  of  their  duty  and  their  need  of  protection ;  but  it 
became  increasingly  evident  that  no  help  was  to  be 
expected,  and  in  the  end  it  proved  that  their  massacre 
was  intended,  and  that  all  was  done  of  settled  purpose. 
3 


34  The  Tai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

On  Tuesday,  July  3,  three  officials  came  from  the 
Governor  and  said,  '  If  you  ask  for  protection,  you  must 
go  to  a  house  in  the  Chu-tu-h'siang.  The  house  has 
four  courts,  and  you  can  occupy  two,  and  the  Roman 
Catholics  the  other  two.'  This  house  was  near  the 
centre  of  the  city,  and  had  been  used  as  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Railway  Bureau.  The  missionaries,  not 
without  many  misgivings,  finally  consented  to  go,  and 
removed  there  on  Friday,  July  6.  Some  faithful  Chinese 
servants  accompanied  them, and  for  a  dayor  two  they  were 
left  in  some  degree  of  comfort  and  comparative  quiet. 

Meanwhile,  other  events  were  transpiring  which 
afterwards  helped  to  explain  why  these  doomed  ones 
were  allowed  this  respite  from  the  fate  which,  alas  !  too 
surely  awaited  them.  About  eighty  miles  east  from 
T'ai-yuen-fu  is  the  county  town  of  Shao-yang,  and  in 
this  town,  which  has  a  market  and  is  on  the  main  road 
to  Peking,  were  stationed  Rev.  T.  W.  Pigott,  B.A.,  with 
his  wife  and  child.  In  the  household  was  a  gentleman 
named  Mr.  J.  Robinson,  engaged  as  tutor  to  Master 
Wellesley  Pigott,  and  Miss  Duval  as  governess,  and 
two  girls,  children  of  Rev.  S.  R.  Atwater,  of  Fen-chou-fu, 
who  were  there  at  the  time,  and  also  under  instruction 
from  Miss  Duval  and  Mr.  Robinson. 

Early  in  June,  Mr.  Pigott  began  to  be  uneasy  about 
the  condition  of  the  country.  Rumours  were  being 
circulated  accusing  the  Christians  of  poisoning  the  wells, 
and  in  consequence  Mr.  Pigott  wrote  to  the  resident 
official  on  the  subject,  and  received  a  friendly  and 
apparently  satisfactory  reply.  On  June  29,  a  letter 
came  from  the  magistrate,  which  stated  that,  on  the 
day  previously,  he  had  received,  through  the  Governor, 
an  Imperial  Proclamation,  and  the  tenor  of  it  was  that 
foreigners  were  no  longer  to  receive  official  protection. 


Flight  from  Shao-yang  35 

If  Mr.  Pigott  wished  to  leave,  he  would  escort  him  in 
any  direction  to  the  boundaries  of  his  jurisdiction,  but 
could  do  no  more. 

Mr.  Pigott,  on  receipt  of  this,  called  together  his 
household  to  discuss  the  situation,  but  before  anything 
was  decided  a  letter  arrived  from  T'ai-yuen-fu  which 
increased  the  alarm.  It  was  written  by  Mr.  Stokes, 
who  belonged  to  the  same  mission,  and  was  sent  from 
Mr.  Farthing's  house,  whither  he  and  the  others  had  fled. 
It  described  the  burning  of  the  hospital  and  other 
mission  buildings,  and  the  murder  of  Miss  Coombs,  on 
June  27.  On  receiving  this,  immediate  preparations 
were  made  for  flight.  On  the  premises  at  the  time  was 
a  Christian  woman  who  had  been  residing  there  as  a 
patient.  Her  husband,  also  a  Christian,  had  that  very 
day  come  to  take  his  wife  home,  and  they  invited  Mr. 
Pigott  and  his  household  to  go  with  them  to  their 
village,  a  small  one  of  ten  families,  situated  in  an 
isolated  position.  This  invitation  was  accepted,  and 
they  started  off  the  same  day  about  four  o'clock.  The 
ladies  and  children  of  the  party  rode  on  animals, 
Mr.  Pigott  and  Mr.  Robinson  travelling  on  foot. 
It  was  quite  dark  when  they  reached  the  village  of 
Pei-liang-shan,  where  they  occupied  for  the  night 
the  cave-dwelling  of  the  Christian  native  who  had 
invited  them  there. 

The  next  morning  they  were  surprised  to  find  that 
several  hundreds  of  people  came,  as  they  said,  to  see 
the  foreigners.  All  day  the  country  people  crowded 
the  little  yard  in  front  of  the  house  which  the  foreigners 
occupied,  and  a  continuous  stream  of  people  went  to 
and  fro  in  and  out  of  the  place.  Some  were  overheard 
discussing  the  doings  of  the  Boxers  and  the  destruction 
of  mission  premises  in  other  places. 


36  The  T'ai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

That  night  rain  fell  heavily,  so  that  the  next  day- 
was  comparatively  free  from  crowds ;  but  two  native 
Christians  arrived  from  Shao-yang,  who  described 
what  had  happened  there  after  the  party  had  left.  The 
assistant  in  the  dispensary  had  cleared  out  all  the 
drugs  and  instruments  which  were  left  there,  besides 
stores,  and  had  taken  them,  as  he  said,  for  safety 
to  his  own  house.  Later,  a  renegade  Christian  had 
led  the  crowd  in  breaking  into  the  mission  premises, 
looting  their  property,  and  destroying  much  that  they 
could  not   carry  away,  even  doors  and  windows. 

On  July  2,  a  man  came  to  tell  them  that  only  a 
few  miles  off  some  native  Christians  had  been  killed. 
This  news  was  soon  spread  about,  and  then  crowds 
began  to  gather,  and  commenced  to  pillage,  not  only 
the  goods  of  the  foreigners,  but  also  of  the  Christian 
natives  who  had  so  kindly  befriended  them.  Seeing 
that  no  effort  of  his  could  restrain  the  mob,  Mr.  Pigott 
finally  decided  to  return  to  Shao-yang  and  seek  the 
protection  of  the  mandarin,  whom  he  believed  was 
willing  to  be  friendly,  and  might  be  able  to  protect 
them.  Just  as  the  party  left  the  village  they  all 
knelt  in  prayer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pigott  prayed  in  the 
Chinese,  and  the  others  in  the  English,  language,  and 
then  they  continued  their  sad  journey. 

On  reaching  the  river  just  outside  the  city  of 
Shao-yang,  they  had  some  difficulty  in  crossing  it, 
owing  to  the  recent  heavy  rains.  On  reaching  the 
other  side,  they  were,  as  a  consequence,  more  or  less 
wet  and  muddy.  Some  of  the  people  of  the  city 
recognised  them,  and  ran,  shouting  'The  foreign 
devils  have  come  back.'  They,  however,  finally  eluded 
these  rowdies,  and  about  midnight  got  to  the  Yamen, 
where   they  were  ultimately  placed  in  a  guard-house. 


Missionaries  Imprisoned  37 

In  a  day  or  two  they  were  all  conveyed  on  their  way 
to   T'ai-yuen-fu    in   a   large  country  cart  without   any 
covering  over  it,   and    Mr.   Pigott   and  Mr.   Robinson 
were  handcuffed.     They  had  an  escort  of  about  fifty 
soldiers,  who  protected  them  in  several  places  from  the 
attacks  of  the  Boxers.     On  the  journey  it  is  stated  that 
Mrs    Pio-ott   fed  her   husband,  as   he  was   handcuffed, 
with  the'comraon  Chinese  food,  which  can  be  purchased 
along  the  road  from  itinerant  vendors      Mr  Robinson 
however,   managed   to   take  the  food  himself.     Whilst 
they  were  watering  the  animals  by  the  roadside,  Mr. 
PicTott  and  Mr.  Robinson  occupied  the  time  in  preaching 
to'the  people  who  gathered  round.     The  people  were 
much  astonished  at  this,  and  said,  'They  are  going  to 
be  killed  for  preaching,  and  yet  go  on  doing  so.     Thus 
did   these  faithful   servants   of  Christ   witness  a  good 
confession  before  many  witnesses,  and  were  not  ashamed 
of  their  chains.     May  we  not  hope  that  their  testimony 
may  yet  be  used  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  many  ? 

When  about  three  miles  from  T'ai-yuen-fu  they 
were  met  by  an  escort  of  two  hundred  horse  and  foot 
soldiers,  and  by  these  they  were  brought  '"to  the 
city  on  the  evening  of  July  8.  They  asked  to 
be  taken  to  where  the  other  foreigners  were,  but  they 
were  told  by  the  soldiers  that  they  had  all  gone  to 
the  Yamen,  and  so  Mr.  Pigott  and  his  party  were 
lodged  in  the  district  prison. 

On  Monday,  July  9,  IQOO,  an  order  came  from  the 
Governor  to  the  party  confined  in  the  house  on  the 
Chu-tu-h'siang,  that  they  were  to  be  brought  to  his 
Yamen,  in  order  to  be  sent  off  under  escort  to  the  coast. 
One  can  well  imagine  with  what  alacrity  all  got  them- 
selves ready  in  anticipation  of  their  journey  to  a  place 
of  safety.     On   arrival   at   the   Yamen,   however,  they 


3^  The  Tai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

were  speedily  undeceived.  They  were  all  ranged  in 
line  outside  the  Yamen  entrance  in  the  open  space 
next  to  the  street.  The  whole  number  of  men,  women, 
and  children  were  then  stripped  to  the  waist  like 
common  criminals,  and  were  made  to  wait  in  this 
degrading  condition  till  the  Governor  came  out  to 
inspect  them.  On  his  arrival,  he  asked  of  what  nation- 
ality they  were,  and  some  one  replied,  '  Ta  ying  Kuo ' 
('  Great  heroic  nation ' :  the  official  title  for  England). 
At  this  the  Governor  laughed  scornfully,  and  at  once 
gave  the  order  for  the  murder  of  the  prisoners. 

The  first  to  suffer  martyrdom  was  Mr.  Farthing 
of  the  English  Baptist  Mission.  His  wife  clung  to 
him,  but  he  gently  put  her  aside,  and,  going  in  front 
of  the  soldiers,  knelt  down  without  uttering  a  word, 
and  then  received  the  death-blow.  He  was  speedily 
followed  by  Messrs.  Hoddle  and  Beynon,  and  Drs. 
Lovitt  and  Wilson,  all  of  whom  were  beheaded  by  the 
executioner  with  one  blow.  Then  the  Governor,  Yii 
Hsien,  getting  impatient,  ordered  his  bodyguard  to 
assist  in  the  massacre.  Messrs.  Stokes  and  Simpson 
were  next  killed,  one  or  two  after  several  blows  from 
the  knives  of  the  executioners.  When  the  men  were 
all  despatched,  the  ladies  were  taken.  Mrs.  Farthing 
had  hold  of  the  hands  of  her  children,  who  clung  to  her, 
but  the  soldiers  roughly  parted  them,  and  with  one 
blow  beheaded  their  mother.  The  children  were 
beheaded  by  the  executioners  in  turn  at  a  single  blow, 
but  the  soldiers,  being  unskilled,  required  several  blows 
to  finish  their  victims. 

Mrs.  Lovitt  was  wearing  her  spectacles,  and  held 
the  hand  of  her  little  boy  even  when  she  was  killed. 
She  said  to  the  people,  '  We  all  came  to  China  to  bring 
you  the  good  news  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ.     We 


TAI    YUEN    FU    MARTYRS. 

E.    A.    COOMBS.  A.    E.    LOVITT.  MRS.    LOVITT. 

A.    HODDLE. 

MRS.  STOKES.      G.  W.  STOKES.  MRS.  SIMPSOX.      J.  SIMPSON. 

\To  face  p.  z?:. 


The  Massacre  39 

have  done  you  no  harm,  but  only  sought  your  good  ; 
why  do  you  treat  us  so?'  A  soldier  took  off  her 
spectacles  before  beheading  her,  which  was  done  in  two 
blows. 

When  the  Protestants  belonging  to  T'ai-yuen-fu 
were  beheaded,  the  Roman  Catholics  were  led  forward. 
The  Bishop,  an  old  man  with  a  large  white  beard,  asked 
the  Governor  why  he  did  this  wicked  deed.  For  an 
answer,  the  Governor  drew  his  sword  across  the  face 
of  the  Bishop,  causing  the  blood  to  flow  down  his 
beard,  and  he  was  then  speedily  massacred.  The  priests 
and  nuns  quickly  followed  him  in  death. 

Then  Mr.  Pigott  and  his  party  were  led  out  of  the 
county  jail,  which  was  close  by.  Mr.  Pigott  preached 
to  the  people  till  the  very  last.  Mr.  Robinson  suffered 
death  very  calmly.  Mrs.  Pigott  held  the  hand  of  her 
son  even  when  she  was  beheaded,  and  he  was  killed 
immediately  after  her.  Miss  Duval  and  the  two 
Atwater  girls  were  then  despatched,  finishing  the 
ghastly  tragedy,  so  far  as  the  Europeans  were  concerned^ 
although  on  that  day  and  subsequently  many  native 
Christians,  both  Catholic  and  Protestant,  were  massacred. 
All  the  bystanders  were  surprised  at  the  firmness  and 
quietness  of  the  foreigners  in  the  hour  of  death.  None 
of  them  made  any  noise  except  three  of  the  children. 

Forty-six  Europeans — thirty-four  Protestants  and 
twelve  Roman  Catholics — suffered  martyrdom  at  this 
time,  besides  Miss  E.  Coombs,  who  died  on  June  27. 
The  bodies  were  all  left  where  they  fell  till  the  next 
morning,  as  it  was  evening  before  the  work  was  finished. 
During  the  night,  they  were  stripped  of  their  clothing 
and  robbed  of  their  rings  and  watches.  The  next  day, 
the  remains  were  removed  to  a  place  inside  the  South 
Gate,  and  were  finally  (some  months  afterwards)  interred 


40  The  T'ai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

in  a  cemetery  which  was  situated  about  two  miles  from 
the  city,  on  the  top  of  a  hill.  This  was  specially  pre- 
pared for  their  interment  by  the  then  Governor  of  the 
province.  After  the  massacre,  all  the  houses  of  the 
foreigners  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  were 
looted  and  destroyed. 

The  following  is  the  martyr  roll : — 


Mission.  Protestants. 

English  Baptist.  TRev.  G.  B.  Farthing,  Mrs.  Farthing,  Ruth,  Guy, 


^,  .  --      ,  and  Baby 

i  ai-yuen-lu.  ^  ^j^^  j^_  ^_  Stewart,  governess,  do.     . 

I  Rev.  S.  F.  Whitehouse,  Mrs.  Whitehouse 


North  China. 
Shao-yang. 


'Mr.   T.  W.    Pigott,   Mrs.   Pigott,   and  their  son 
Vv'^ellesley     ...... 

Miss  Duval,  Mr.  J.  Robinson,  Ernestine  Atwater 
Mary  Atwater.  (The  two  girls  belonged  to 
the  A.B.C.F.M.,  Fen-chou-fu.)    . 


rr.,  '  r         Mr.  G.  W.  Stokes,  Mrs.  Stokes,  Mr.  J.  Simpson 

T'ai-yuen-fu.     -  ,,  ^_  Cin.n.nn  .  .  .  .  . 


Mrs.  Simpson 


fDr.  A.  E.  Lovitt,  Mrs.  Lovitt  and  Baby  Jack 
I  Mr.  G.  W.  "      '    '        ----- 

"l  Mrs.  S 

l^Miss  E.  A.  Coombs  (killed  on  June  27) 

,  J  ,     ,      TMr.    A.    Hoddle   (formerly    of    the    Shao-yang 

Independent.    |         ^^^.^^.^^        ...        .        .         /      . 


China  Inland.      fDr.  W.   Millar  Wilson,   Mrs.   Millar  Wlson,  and 
P'ing-yang.     \         Baby  Alexander  ..... 

Do.      Ho-chau.    Miss  J.  Stevens,  Miss  M.  Clarke 

B.  &  F.  Bible    TMr.    W.    F.    Beynon,     Mrs.     Beynon,     Daisy, 

Society.        -|          Kenneth,  and  Norman  Beynon    ...           5 
T'ai-yuen-fu.    j  


Roman  Catholics. 

Two    bishops,    two    priests,    seven     Sisters     of 
Mercy,  and  one  lay  brother  ^.         .         .         . 


34 


46 


The  heads  of  the  six  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board  at  T'ai-ku  were  sent  to  the  Governor  in  T'ai- 
yuen-fu.  This  made  the  full  tale  of  fifty-one  (not 
counting  Miss    Coombs),  for   which  it  was    afterwards 


Horror  at  the  News  41 

found    Yu    Hsien    had    claimed    a    reward    from    the 
Empress-Dowager  in  Peking. 

Mr.  Fei-chi-hao,  a  school  teacher  employed  by  the 
American  Board  at  Fen-cheu-fu,  was  the  first  to  bring 
authentic  news  of  this  frightful  massacre  to  his  mission 
in  Tientsin,  in  September.  His  escape  and  journey 
thither,  which  is  detailed  later,  is  a  tale  of  almost 
incredible  hardship  and  suffering,  heroically  borne  in 
order  to  accomplish  this  service. 

When   the    news   was    telegraphed   to    England,   it 

created  a  profound  impression.     Queen  Victoria  herself 

instructed  Lord   Salisbury  to  write,  on  September  20, 

1900,  to  the  Emperor  of  China,  that—*  It  is  reported 

that  a  number  of  missionaries  have  been  killed,  some 

by  the  direct  orders  of  the  Governor  of  Shansi,  and 

that  the  fate  of  a  still  larger  number,  including  children, 

is  unknown.      The  Queen  has  been  deeply  moved  by 

the  dreadful  accounts  which  have  reached  her.     Until 

the   Emperor   has   shown   in   some   signal  manner  his 

disapproval  of  these  shocking  acts  committed  in   the 

proximity  of   His   Imperial    Majesty's    Court,  and  has 

issued  stringent  orders  for  the  rescue  of  those  sufferers 

who  may  still   have   survived.  Lord   Salisbury  cannot 

advise  Her  Majesty  to  reply  to  the  Emperor's  message.' 

Some  reparation  was  made  for  the  awful  tragedy 

enacted  at  that  time.      The  infamous  Yii   Hsien  was 

beheaded   by   command   of  the   Emperor.      The   new 

Governor  of  Shan-si  received  a  party  of  missionaries 

with  every  mark  of  respect,  and  a  profoundly  impressive 

service  was  held  over  the  tombs  of  the  sacred  dead. 

The  place  where  the  martyrs  were  imprisoned  has 
been  razed  to  the  ground,  and  a  monument  erected,  and 
the  place  made  into  a  public  garden.  The  tablet  erected 
by  the  people  to  Yii  Hsien  has  been  taken  down,  and 


42  The  T'ai-yuen-fu  Tragedy 

replaced  by  one  to  the  memory  of  the  martyrs.  In 
addition  to  this,  at  the  suggestion  of  Rev.  T.  Richard, 
D.D.,  who  had  the  honour  of  being  pubHcly  invited 
to  propose  a  settlement  of  the  matter,  so  far  as 
Protestant  missions  were  concerned,  a  fine  has  been 
levied  on  the  province  amounting  to  500,000  taels 
(£75,000,  or  $375,000,  gold).  This  sum  is  to  be  used 
for  educational  purposes  throughout  the  province,  so 
that  the  ignorance  and  superstition  which  was  the  root 
cause  of  this  terrible  tragedy  may  be  removed  for  ever. 


HOUSE    IX    T'AI    YUEN     FU    WHERE    THE     MISSIONARIES     LIVED    A    EEW 

DAYS   BEFORE   THE    MASSACRE. 

STARTING   OF   THE    MEMORIAL    PROCESSION. 

MEMORIAL    SERVICE    AT   T'AI    YUEN    FU. 

ITo/ace  p.  42. 


CHAPTER   V 

'In  Deaths  Oft'^ 

There  are  two  stations  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission 
in  the  province  of  Shan-si,  one  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  the 
other  in  Hsin-chou,  which  is  situated  about  forty-five 
miles  north  of  that  city.  The  station  of  Hsin-chou  was 
opened  by  Mr.  Dixon  in  1885. 

There  the  work  had  prospered,  and  with  the  addition 
to  the  staff  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCurrach,  and  later  of  Mr. 
Ennals  and  Miss  Renaut,  of  the  B.Z.M.,  there  seemed 
every  reason  for  encouragement  and  the  prospect  of 
definite  extension.  A  new  mission-house  was,  in  1900, 
in  process  of  building,  and  was  almost  finished  when  the 
troubles  began,  which  ended  so  disastrously. 

On  June  29,  1900,  a  messenger  who  had  been  sent 
to  T'ai-yuen-fu  with  the  mail  for  the  coast,  returned 
without  having  delivered  his  letters.  He  brought  the 
news  of  the  burning  of  the  hospital  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  and 
the  death  of  Miss  Coombs,  which  had  happened  only 
two  days  before.  There  were  stationed  at  Hsin-chou  at 
the  time,  Rev.  H.  Dixon  and  Mrs.  Dixon,  Rev.  W.  A. 
McCurrach  and  Mrs.  McCurrach,  Miss  B.  Renaut  and 
Rev.  S.  W.  Ennals ;  and  belonging  to  the  same  mission 
from  T'ai-yuen-fu  were  Rev.  T.  J.  Underwood  and  Mrs. 

1  For  biographical  details  of  missionaries  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  see 
pp.  443-451-  ^3 


44  '  In  Deaths  Oft ' 

Underwood,  who  were  on  a  visit  to  Hsin-chou  at  the 
time. 

On  hearing  the  news  brought  by  the  messenger,  the 
missionaries  immediately  decided  to  fly  for  their  lives. 
They  had  two  horses,  two  carts,  and  a  mule  litter  to 
carry  them,  and,  as  soon  as  they  could  be  got  ready, 
they  left  the  city,  quietly  and  without  molestation. 
They  reached  a  place  called  Hsia-ho-pei,  about  ten 
miles  off,  where  they  stopped  for  rest  and  refreshment 
for  the  animals  and  themselves.  The  party  remained 
there  for  some  hours,  but,  on  the  arrival  of  a  messenger 
from  Hsin-chou  with  the  news  that  the  party  of 
missionaries  were  wanted  by  the  magistrate  of  that 
place,  they  hastened  their  flight.  They  succeeded  in 
reaching,  the  same  evening,  a  place  called  Liu-chia-shan, 
where  some  native  Christians  were  living,  and  took 
refuge  in  the  house  of  one  of  them,  named  Ngan-wan- 
niu.  This  man's  house  was  situated  at  the  head  of  a 
narrow  valley,  with  high  steep  hills  on  either  hand, 
and  the  living  rooms  were  hollowed  out  of  the  hillside. 
It  could  be  made  impregnable  by  a  sufficient  and 
well-provisioned  force  contending  against  undisciplined 
peasantry,  such  as  would  be  their  pursuers,  and  it  was 
with  this  object  in  view  that  the  flight  of  the 
missionaries  was  directed  to  this  friendly  shelter. 

They  remained  there  for  over  a  fortnight,  undis- 
covered and  without  molestation  ;  but  about  that  time 
their  retreat  became  known  to  their  enemies,  who  had 
been  out  searching  for  their  hiding-place.  This  fact 
led  to  the  flight  of  the  friendly  villagers  and  Christian 
natives,  on  whom  they  depended  for  their  supplies  of 
food  and  water,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that  their 
position  was  untenable.  The  party  then  took  to  the 
hills,  and  tried  to  conceal  themselves  in  a  cave.     The 


Murders  near  Hsin-Chou  45 

missionaries  were  known  to  have  some  firearms  with 
them  for  defence,  and  so  were  avoided  by  the  cowardly 
enemies  who  sought  to  molest  them. 

This  state  of  things  lasted  for  nearly  a  week,  but  on 
July  25,  1900,  a  military  official  arrived  with  some 
soldiers  from  Hsin-chou,  and  opened  up  communication 
with  the  party,  and  tried  to  capture  them.  His  men 
were  at  first  repulsed,  but,  seeing  that  resistance 
was  useless,  the  missionaries  surrendered  themselves, 
were  brought  back  to  Hsin-chou,  saw  the  magistrate, 
and  after  the  interview  were  placed  in  the  common  jail. 
There  they  remained  for  a  fortnight,  and  their  condition 
may  be  imagined,  but  not  adequately  described.  The 
Chinese  call  a  prison  'the  tiger's  mouth,'  and  it  well 
earns  the  appellation,  for  the  rapacity  of  the  jailers  and 
the  filth  and  wretchedness  of  the  dens  in  which  the 
prisoners  are  forced  to  live  make  life  in  them  almost 
intolerable,  especially  during  the  heat  of  summer. 

On  August  9,  after  the  arrival  of  a  deputy  and  ten 
soldiers  from  T'ai-yuen-fu  with  special  instructions  from 
the  Governor,  the  missionaries  were  informed  that  they 
were  to  be  escorted  to  the  coast.  This  apparently 
joyful  news  was  confirmed  by  the  appearance  of  four 
carts  such  as  are  ordinarily  used  in  travelling,  and  the 
eight  foreigners  gladly  exchanged  the  loathsome  prison 
for  the  prospect  of  life  and  liberty  in  the  near  future, 
and  arranged  themselves  two  in  each  cart,  as  is  the 
usual  custom  in  China.  They  started,  but  when  the 
inner  gate  of  the  city  was  reached,  they  were  met, 
evidently  by  previous  arrangement,  by  a  number  of 
Boxers.  The  carts  were  stopped,  the  occupants  were 
dragged  out,  stripped  naked,  their  heads  cut  off,  and  their 
bodies  taken  to  the  banks  of  a  small  river  near  by,  and 
thrown  down,  to  be  abused  in  the  most  shameful  way 


46  *In  Deaths  Oft' 

by   the  rowdies  of  the  neighbouring  village  of  Wang- 

chia-chuang.     Afterwards,   one   of  the    gentry    of   the 

^  '^    I     city    named    Chou    hired    some    men    to    place    the 

^-     1     bodies   in   matting  and   bury  them   at  the   foot  of  the 

1    city  wall,  just  outside  the  city. 

All  the  goods  of  the  missionaries  were  looted,  but 
a  new  building  erected  by  Mr.  Dixon  was  allowed  to 
stand.  The  respectable  people  of  the  place,  it  is  said, 
greatly  regretted  these  shocking  proceedings,  which 
took  place  by  the  command  of  the  infamous  Yii 
Hsien,  who  has  since  himself  gone  to  give  an  account 
to  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  for  the  atrocities  committed 
by  him,  and  at  his  instigation,  and  by  his  authority. 

The  magistrate  of  Hsin-chou,  named  Li-ch'ung-kuan, 
who  so  faithfully  carried  out  the  diabolical  instruc- 
tions received  from  his  superior,  was  rewarded  by  the 
Empress-Dowager  and  her  party  by  being  made 
prefect  in  another  part  of  the  province, — an  appoint- 
ment which  has,  we  may  well  believe,  been  cancelled 
long  ago,  so  that  his  triumph  over  defenceless  men 
and  women  was  fleeting,  and  his  punishment  and 
disgrace  made  therefore  more  bitter. 
1^  Mr.  Dixon  has  left  a  name  which  will  long  be  an 
A  I  inspiration  to  the  Churches.  His  life  had  in  it  much 
■■'^  j  heroism  and  self-sacrificing  toil,  with  little  pleasure  and 
\  ease,  and  it  was  ended  by  the  cruel  sword-blows  that 
won  for  him  the  martyr's  crown.  He  was  born  in  1856. 
At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  was  left  an  orphan,  and 
was  educated  at  the  London  Orphan  Asylum  School. 
On  leaving  school  he  spent  some  years  in  commercial 
life.  Divine  grace  had  early  wrought  a  change  in  him, 
and  he  became  a  member  of  Downs  Chapel,  Clapton, 
then  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  T.  Vincent  Tymms. 
The  Lord,  who  had  chosen  him  to  be  sent  '  far  hence 


Herbert  Dixon  47 

unto  the  Gentiles,'  laid  on  his  heart  the  needs  of 
Africa,  and  he  felt  strongly  the  call  to  give  his  life  to 
the  great  work  then  being  commenced  on  the  Congo 
River. 

After  a  three  years'  course  at  Regent's  Park  College, 
he  was  accepted  by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
for  the  Congo  Mission,  but  remained  in  England  for 
two  years  longer,  to  get  medical  and  surgical  training, 
as  well  as  such  other  training  as  seemed  needful. 
Thoroughly  well  equipped,  he  promised  to  become  an 
ideal  African  missionary.  He  left  England  in  the 
autumn  of  1881,  and  was  stationed  at  San  Salvador, 
where  there  fell  to  him  the  onerous  duties  of  receiving 
and  forwarding  supplies  to  his  colleagues  on  the 
higher  reaches  of  the  river.  His  letters  from  Africa 
show  with  what  earnestness  and  zest  he  entered  on  his 
work  ;  but  the  deadly  climate  laid  him  low  with  attacks 
of  fever,  and  frequent  exposure  to  the  sun  when  he 
was  unfitted  by  illness  brought  about  a  complete 
breakdown  in  health,  so  that  in  September  1883  he 
returned  to  England  suffering  from  paralysis  of  the 
limbs,  from  which  it  was  thought  he  might  never 
recover.  After  months  of  careful  nursing,  he  was  once 
more  able  to  walk,  but  the  physicians  forbade  his 
return  to  the  Congo. 

Just  then,  however,  a  letter  from  a  former  fellow- 
student  in  China  led  him  to  apply  to  the  Committee 
of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  to  be  sent  to  that 
country.  To  this  they  consented,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1885  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixon  arrived  in  T'ai-yuen-fu. 
For  some  years  both  of  them  had  indifferent  health, 
but  they  struggled  on  with  indomitable  courage.  Two 
years  after  arrival  in  China  they  took  up  the  work  at 
Hsin-chou.     For   the    next   three  years   they  were   the 


48  ^In  Deaths  Oft^ 

only  missionaries  there,  and  their  nearest  neighbours 
were  forty-five  miles  away.  They  had  to  endure  many 
hardships,  but  the  work  made  splendid  progress.  The 
little  Church  increased  steadily  in  spite  of  much 
opposition,  and  a  band  of  native  evangelists  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Dixon  carried  the  Gospel  to  the 
surrounding  towns  and  villages. 

In  September  1893,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixon  returned 
to  England  with  their  four  children ;  but  for  him  it 
was  a  short  stay.  Leaving  his  wife  and  children  behind, 
a  few  months  later  he  was  back  again  at  his  lonely 
station.  When  he  was  very  weary  he  would  come  to 
T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  remain  with  his  friends  for  a  few 
weeks.  He  was  a  welcome  guest,  and  with  the 
children  always  a  favourite,  and  this  relaxation  seemed 
to  put  new  life  into  the  tired  but  heroic  missionary. 

In  1898  he  returned  once  more  to  England,  after 
four  years'  separation  from  his  family.  The  winter 
before,  Mr.  McCurrach  had  joined  him  in  his  solitude, 
and  there  was  every  prospect  of  an  enlargement  of  the 
Mission.  The  premises  which  were  then  rented  were 
expensive,  incommodious,  and  in  a  most  confined  and 
unhealthy  situation.  Mr.  Dixon  proposed  to  erect  new 
premises  on  a  healthy  site.  By  the  sale  of  some 
embroidery  amongst  his  friends,  and  by  an  earnest  and 
skilful  advocacy  of  the  work,  he  secured  about  ;^iooo, 
so  that  when  he  returned  with  Mrs.  Dixon  in  1899  he 
was  at  once  able  to  begin  operations,  and  speedily 
made  rapid  progress.  The  work  at  Hsin-chou  and  the 
connected  out-stations  had  prospered  steadily  during 
his  absence,  and  he  was  much  encouraged  by  the 
results. 

Fresh  force  was  added  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Ennals 
and  Miss  Renaut,  and  everything  was  prosperous,  when 


THE    HSIN    CHOU    MARTYRS. 

MRS.    MCCURKACH.  W.    A.    MCCURRACH. 

MRS.    DIXOX.  HERBERT   DIXON. 

MRS.    UNDERWOOD.  T.   J.    UNDERWOOD. 
B.    RENAUT.  S.   W.   ENNALS. 


\To  face  p.  49. 


Mr.  Dixon*s  Diary  49 

the  blow  fell  which  forced  them  suddenly  to  flee  from 
their  station  to  the  mountains. 

Mr.  Dixon  and  some  of  his  companions  left  diaries 
of  this  terrible  time,  which  have  since  been  recovered, 
and  are  of  the  deepest  interest  and  very  stimulating 
to  faith  and  hope.  The  following  extracts  are  from 
Mr.  Dixon's  own  diary: — 

'  Rumours  of  plans  to  destroy  all  foreigners  and  native 
Christians  had  been  persistent,  and  the  appointment 
of  Yii  Hsien  Governor  of  Shan-si  seemed  the  finishing 
touch.  The  outburst  of  Boxers  at  Pao-ting-fu  cut  us 
off  from  all  communication  with  the  coast  (about  June 
4  or  5). 

'  Friday^  June  29. — Last  night  had  letter  from  G.  B. 
Farthing  saying  very  bad  rumours  about,  but  could 
not  say  if  there  was  any  real  foundation  for  them. 
This  morning,  five  o'clock,  our  letter-carrier  from  T'ai- 
Yuen  came  in  saying  that  Dr.  Edwards's  premises  were 
burnt  down  by  a  mob  on  night  of  June  27,  and  at 
least  one  lady  (Miss  Coombs)  was  burnt.  That  he  could 
not  get  at  Mr.  Farthing — that  troops  and  Boxers  were 
searching  everywhere  for  the  missionaries — all  the  city 
gates  being  guarded  to  prevent  their  escape. 

'  After  short  consultation,  we  (Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixon, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCurrach,  Mr.  Ennals,  Miss  Renaut,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Underwood)  decided  to  escape  outside  the 
city  of  Hsin-chou  before  the  news  could  be  generally 
known — so  hurriedly  secured  carts  and  made  good  our 
escape  out  of  the  west  gate,  having  arranged  to 
inform  the  official  after  our  start,  that  he  might  protect 
our  property.  Made  our  way  toward  T'ai-Yuen,  and 
there  branched  off  south-west  toward  Chuan  Mo  Chen. 
Spent  the  afternoon  waiting  at  a  Christian's  home. 
Sudden  alarm  of  soldiers  pursuing  us  made  us  start 
4 


50  'In  Deaths  Oft* 

off  about  6.45  p.m.,  and  after  an  hour's  toilsome  march, 
pushed  up  into  a  deep  gully ;  dismissed  our  two  carts, 
and  hid  our  baggage  in  a  hole,  whilst  we  waited  in  the 
dark  the  arrival  of  some  Christians  with  donkeys. 
r"~~  'At  last  they  came,  and  we  started  up  a  wide  river- 
bed about  midnight.  Three  ladies  on  horses,  we  men 
leading  them  ;  Mr.  Ennals  and  Miss  Renaut  on  donkeys. 
An  awful  march  through  alternate  water  and  deep  dry 
sand.  Could  not  keep  up  or  in  touch  with  our  guides. 
Dared  carry  no  light,  neither  dared  we  call  out.  Lost 
our  bearings,  got  some  mile  or  more  out  of  our  way. 
At  last  hit  the  entrance  up  a  narrow  pass,  and  found 
our  guides.  Then  a  terrible  climb  over  a  rough  path : 
Mrs.  Dixon  very  ill. 

*  Arrived  near  village  at  daybreak,  Saturday.  Would 
not  go  in,  for  fear  of  bringing  trouble  on  the  village. 
Went  away  up  a  glen,  and  lay  out  all  day.  Rained 
heavily,  and  we  had  to  sit  sopped  through  in  a  rocky 
torrent-bed  until  near  midnight.  Then  Christians  came 
with  lights,  and  with  infinite  trouble  took  us  and  our 
i,  things  into  the  village  about  two  miles  off  (over  most 
;   difficult  ground). 

'  No  sooner  there  than  we  men  had  to  be  marched 
^^^jju. .  away  over  the  mountain-side  to  hide  in  a  cave,  whilst 

/Q^.  the  ladies  were  put  down  in  a  tiny  cellar  and  the  lid 

shut  down, — it  almost  cost  them  their  lives.  They  were 
pulled  out  only  just  in  time,  and  then  stayed  in  a 
cave  room.  This  was  all  necessitated  by  a  fair  at  a  temple 
on  a  mountain  near  by.  About  midnight  we  men  re- 
turned to  the  ladies.     Thus  we  spent  Sunday,  July  i. 

'  On  Friday  Chao  was  sent  off  toward  the  coast  with 
instructions  to  try  and  convey  news  of  our  danger  to 
some  foreign  troops  or  officials.  On  Sunday  our  cook 
and  boy  turned  up,  and  were  sent  to  T'ai-Yuen  to  try 


Mr.  Dixon's  Diary  51 

and  get  news  of  the  missionaries  there.  Monday  and 
Tuesday  brought  one  and  another  Christian  with  bad 
news  of  T'ai  Chou  and  Ku  Hsien.  Wednesday,  our 
cook  and  boy  returned  from  T'ai-Yuen  with  news  that 
all  the  missionaries  were  prisoners  in  Mr.  Farthing's 
house,  and  were  expecting  execution  at  any  moment. 
Thursday,  sent  off  cook  w^ith  a  small  note  concealed  in 
his  hat-string  to  try  and  go  to  Pao-ting-fu,  Peking,  or 
Tien-tsin,  asking  for  the  utmost  efforts  to  be  made 
to  save  T'ai-Yuen  friends  and  ourselves.  Friday  and 
Saturday,  all  quiet  living  in  village. 

''Sunday,  July  8. — Had  open-air  service.  Monday, 
all  quiet  apparently.  Tuesday,  getting  anxious  at  non- 
return of  our  messenger  from  Hsin-chou  city.  The 
past  four  days  have  had  men  digging  a  small  cave  up  in 
the  heart  of  the  mountains — difficulty  is  the  impossibility 
of  concealing  the  dug-out  earth. 

'  Wednesday,  July  1 1. — Villager  carried  home  from  his  "7 
daughter's  home  fifteen  li  off,  having  been  beaten  almost   ff^ 
to  death  for  poisonifig  the  wells  by  07'der  oj  the  Joreigner : 
the  Boxers  who  beat  him  threaten  to  invade  the  village] 
on  Friday. 

*  1 1  p.m. — News  received  of  rioting  in  Hsin-chou — 
official  threatened  for  letting  us  escape — our  houses  prob- 
ably all  looted.  A  hundred  Boxers  setting  out  to  destroy 
Catholic  villages,  and  to  come  up  and  kill  us.  Every 
village  has  its  forty  to  sixty  Boxers — so  by  the  time  they 
get  here  they  will  number  a  thousand.  Decide  to  advise 
the  villagers  to  scatter  and  abandon  their  village,  and  we 
ourselves  pack  up  a  little  bedding  and  the  few  stores  we 
have,  and  go  into  hiding  in  our  cave  in  the  mountains. 

*  Thursday,  July  12. — Had  a  most  trying  climb  last 
night,  but  all  got  safely  to  the  cave — a  mere  hole  in  a 
bank— room  enough  for  all  to  lie  down.     Water  a  mile 


52  ^In  Deaths  Oft' 

below  us,  but  we  have  two  buckets  full.  All  quiet  until 
7  p.m.,  when  four  villagers  came,  saying  reliable  news  to 
hand  that  all  foreigners  in  Vai-  Yuen  executed  by  Tai 
Tung  troops  last  Monday  (or  Tuesday).  Twenty-six  all  told 
and  te7i  or  eleve^i  Catholic  priests.  This  means  no  hope  for 
us — as  they  were  all  under  especial  protection  of  theT'ai- 
Yuen  magistrate,  having  been  moved  by  him  from  Mr. 
Farthing's  house  to  a  house  near  the  Yamen. 

^Friday,  July  13. — Had  a  quiet  night,  all  sleeping 
out  of  doors,  but  have  to  keep  strictly  in  the  cave  during 
the  day — and  no  talking  allowed.  Villagers  all  fled,  so 
cannot  get  food.  Must  economise  our  biscuit  and  milk. 
A  messenger  left  yesterday  to  try  and  get  to  Pao-ting-fu 
for  help — but  all  seems  hopeless,  as  our  cave  is  known  to 
at  least  one  outsider.  But  God  is  keeping  our  hearts 
stayed  upon  Him — our  lives  are  His.  Should  we  be 
killed,  don't  forget  to  recompense  the  villagers  here — 
they  have  given  their  all  for  us.     Liu  Chia  San. 

'  Saturday,  July  14. — Ink  in  pen  is  finished.  One 
or  two  of  the  villagers  came  in  during  the  day,  saying 
their  village  is  deserted  and  has  been  plundered  by  Fu- 
chia-chuan  men,  i.e.  men  from  the  big  village  five  li 
below  them.  An  offer  w^as  made  later  on  by  two 
of  the  villagers  and  an  outsider  to  take  us  by  night  to  a 
more  secluded  spot,  where  there  is  an  old  cave.  We  had 
come  to  an  end  of  our  ordinary  rough  oatmeal  bread, 
and  having  no  prospect  of  getting  any  more,  we  had 
had  a  special  prayer-meeting  to  ask  for  food  and 
guidance.  This  cave  is  horribly  damp,  and  all  our 
bedding  is  sopping  wet,  and  we  dare  not  dry  it  out  in 
the  sunshine,  as  it  might  be  seen  from  one  of  the  heights 
around — so  we  should  welcome  a  change.  Just  after 
the  prayer-meeting  the  three  men  came  and  made  an 
offer,  bringing  with  them  some  of  the  roughest  of  bread, 


Mr.  Dixon's  Diary  53 

but  it  was  indeed  welcome,  and  the  whole  seemed  God's 
answer  to  our  prayers.  We  are  to  move  on  Sunday 
night. 

^  Sunday,  July  15. — A  burning  hot  day.     All  quiet 
hiding  in  the  cave.     Two  more  villagers  came,  bringing 
a  few  very  coarse  dumplings.    It's  awfully  good  of  them,  ^  ^^ 
as  they  have  nothing  themselves.     We  are  much  worse' 1     \\ 
off  than  Mafeking  at  its  worst ;  and  we  have  no  Baden 
Powell !     Comforted     greatly   by    God ;    and    by     the 
thought  of  the  prayers   of  the  congregations  at  home. 
At  night  packed   up   our   wet   bedding  for   removal — 
waited  till  1.30  a.m.,  but  no  one  came.     Rain  coming  on,  j 
had  to  unpack  and  hide  again  in  the  cave.  "^ 

^Monday,  July  16. — Heavy  rain  all  the  morning, 
mountains  enveloped  in  mist.  No  one  been  near  (2  p.m.). 
How  long  can  we  hold  out?  Only  few  biscuits, 
sardines,  etc.,  and  milk.  Sad  to  see  wasting  of  the  ladies' 
faces.  Mrs.  Dixon  almost  gone  this  morning.  Cannot 
get  any  information  as  to  outside  events.  Villagers 
dare  not  be  seen  in  any  village  around.  Either  gone 
clean  away  or  hiding  in  the  mountains.  Two  of  our 
evangelists  turned  up  on  Friday,  and  one  undertook  to 
try  and  carry  letter  to  any  Russian  or  other  troops  that 
he  might  find  up  in  the  north  of  Kalgan,  or  possibly 
Peking.  They  told  us,  "  Tien-tsin  taken  by  foreign 
troops  20th  of  5th  moon  (June  17),  and  Peking  invested 
but  action  delayed  owing  to  foreigners  being  inside  the 
city."  That  is  our  only  news.  Surely  if  Peking  be 
taken,  relief  ought  to  reach  us  ere  long.  Eveiy  village 
has  its  band  of  Boxers  drilling,  and  our  position  grows 
more  and  more  desperate,  humanly  speaking.  But  God 
is  our  refuge  and  strength. 

'  Tuesday,  July  17. — Last  night  God  sent  us  more  food 
and  a  man  to  carry  us  some  water.     But  they  say  some 


54  'In  Deaths  Oft* 

of  the  villagers,  Erh  Yu  tzu  and  his  brother  and  Hsia 
Kuei  tzu,  are  plotting  to  betray  us,  or  to  prevent  food 
reaching  us,  so  as  to  starve  us  to  death.  Rumours  came 
this  afternoon  of  Boxers  coming  up  from  T'ai-yuen-fu 
to  hunt  us  to  death.     We  are  still  in  God's  hands. 

'  Wednesday^  J  Illy  i8. — Last  night  heard  firing  in  Ten 
hsi  Kou  village,  just  below  us,  and  much  shouting.  This 
morning  at  6.15  a.m.  a  man  from  Lui  erh  Kou  came  to 
our  cave  (he  is  related  to  An  jung  ch'ang),  and  said  he 
himself  had  seen  thirty  or  forty  Boxers  go  past  his 
village  toward  Fu  chia  chuan  last  night,  and  that  the 
commotion  we  heard  was  caused  by  them.  That  at  Fu 
chia  chuan  probably  a  hundred  were  gathered.  He 
offered  to  lead  us  to  a  cave  about  a  mile  away,  and  just 
above  Lui  erh  Kou.  We  prayed  for  guidance,  and 
decided  to  abandon  all  the  bedding  we  could  not  carry, 
to  bury  all  milk  we  could  not  carry,  and  after  a  hurried 
march  exposed  to  view  on  the  mountain-side  we  have 
arrived  at  said  cave.  God  knows  all  about  it,  and  we 
trust  Him  to  save  us,  but  we  are  willing  to  die  if  that  be 
God's  will.  Give  the  bearer  of  this  book  and  letters  a 
handsome  reward,  if  delivered  into  the  hands  of  friends. 
Love,  warmest  love,  to  our  children. 

'  Thursday,  July  19. — Yesterday  found  small  tunnel 
running  from  this  cave  into  another  small  cave,  the  roof 
of  which  had  fallen  badly.  By  dint  of  hard  work  two  of 
us  levelled  the  rubbish,  and  all  crept  in  for  the  night ; 
very  tight  quarters,  and  bedding  scarce.  A  good  hiding- 
place  ;  but  a  death-trap  if  betrayed,  as  a  mob  could 
smoke  us  to  death.  Am  staying  on  until  further 
guidance.  Last  night  four  people  from  two  villages 
brought  us  some  coarse  food  in  exchange  for  silver,  but 
supply  very  scanty  and  unpalatable.  They  say  all  roads 
blocked  against  any  supplies  being  sent  to  us  or  bought 


Mr.  Dixon's  Diary  55 

for  us.  'Tis  famine  time,  and  local  supplies  are  exhausted ; 
but  God  has  supplied  us  day  by  day  with  something. 
Boxers  in  villages  below  been  fighting  amongst  them- 
selves, so  the  elders  have  disbanded  them.  The  band  of 
Boxers  that  came  through  on  Tuesday  night  had  been 
pursuing  one  of  our  Christians,  but  failed  to  overtake 
him.  Heavy  slaughter  amongst  the  Catholics  around 
T'ai-Yuen.  Military  reported  to  be  coming  to  block  all 
paths  whilst  Boxers  from  T'ai-Yuen  come  in  to  kill  us. 

*  Friday,  July  20. — A  quiet  day.  Mrs.  Dixon  very 
ill.  Recovered  remainder  of  bedding  left  in  first  cave. 
Wednesday  night,  Mr.  Ennals  and  I  went  across  with 
two  Chinese  to  the  first  cave  and  brought  back  our 
buried  stores.  At  night  the  man  brought  some  oatmeal 
strings,  but  wanted  silver ,  silver. 

'  Saturday,  July  21,  7  a.m. — About  1 1  last  night  the 
man  came  with  some  boiled  millet.  He  said  that  he  had 
seen  some  thirty  or  forty  Boxers  at  a  village  two  miles 
away,  and  at  another  three  Boxers  from  T'ai-Yuen  were 
drilling  the  people,  all  bent  on  finding  and  attacking  us. 
As  we  do  not  mean  to  fight,  we  can  only  run  for  our 
lives,  and  so  had  once  more  to  pack  up  and  march  by 
night  back  to  our  first  cave  on  the  other  side  of  the 
watershed.  On  the  march  Mrs.  Dixon  fell  three  or  four 
times  from  utter  exhaustion,  and  had  finally  to  be  carried 
in  unconscious.  The  utter  uncertainty  of  our  position 
and  lack  of  all  news  from  the  outside  makes  us  dependent 
on  mere  local  rumours  brought  to  us  by  an  opium- 
smoker,  as  the  Christians  have  all  had  to  run  for  their 
lives.  But  we  believe  God  is  guarding  and  guiding  us 
day  by  day.  Were  it  not  for  this  trust  in  God  we  should 
be  in  utter  despair.  To  see  the  ladies,  and  especially  my 
dear  wife  in  her  weakness,  have  to  tramp  over  these 
rough  mountain  paths  by  night,  and  lie  hiding  all  day 


56  <In  Deaths  Oft' 

on  wet  bedding,  damp  or  dusty  caves,  without  proper 
food,  and  of  course  without  water  to  wash  ourselves, 
makes  me  think  some  very  bitter  thoughts  against  the 
Governor  of  the  province,  who  has  promoted  this  terrible 
persecution.     But  "  vengeance  is  Mine,  saith  the  Lord." 

*  Have  omitted  to  say  that  some  four  days  before  we 
left  Hsin-chou,  the  magistrate  had  definitely  refused  us 
protection  ;  this  was  the  consequence  of  a  secret  despatch 
received  from  the  Governor  on  or  about  June  23  or  24. 
O  Lord,  may  relief  come  soon !  Chao  gone  east 
twenty-two  days,  cook  gone  east  seventeen  days,  Ho 
gone  east  ten  days,  and  Wen  gone  north  eight  days. 
God  grant  some  of  them  may  have  got  through  the 
Governor's  troops,  which  are  guarding  the  passes  into 
Chih-li,  so  that  no  news  of  his  doings  shall  leak  out.  Our 
love  to  our  children  and  all  friends. 

'Saturday^  July  21,  4  /.;;/. — About  9  a.m.  heard 
shouting  of  "  Pastor,"  "  Pastor,"  then  silence  ;  then  saw 
one,  two,  three,  four  men  on  top  of  mountain  evidently 
watching  our  cave  mouth  ;  this  went  on  till  about  2.45  p.m., 
when  suddenly  an  attack  was  commenced  by  men  over 
the  cave  hurling  immense  stones  at  the  small  mouth  of 
the  cave.  After  a  few  moments  of  this,  fearing  we  should 
be  blocked  in,  McCurrach  and  I  dashed  out,  and  amid  a 
hail  of  huge  stones  commenced  firing  with  a  revolver  and 
a  gun  at  the  more  prominent  leaders.  One  man  with  a 
yellow  cap  was  most  persistent,  so  I  gave  him  a  charge 
of  No.  1  shot,  and  then  they  began  to  run  up  the  hill, 
the  wounded  man  rolling  over  and  over  down  the  hill- 
side into  the  gully  below  us.  Then  gradually  the  crowd 
streamed  away  over  the  ridge  down  to  a  village  below, 
and  left  us  the  field.  On  examining  the  ridge  above  the 
cave  where  they  had  first  gathered,  we  found  one  of  our 
Hsin-chou  Church  members  with  a  terrible  gash  in  his 


We  are  at  our  Wit's  End ' 


57 


head  and  his  throat  cut.  It  was  evident  he  had  been 
dead  some  hours,  and  as  his  hands  were  bound  behind 
him  with  a  leading  rope,  it  is  evident  they  had  caught  him 
on  the  mountains  and  had  led  him  captive  to  see  the 
attack,  and  that  the  dear  fellow  had  shouted  to  warn  us, 
and  had  been  killed  on  the  spot. 

'  That  warning  probably  saved  us.  The  wounded  man 
had  only  a  scalp  wound,  and  will,  I  trust,  soon  be  able  to 
go  off,  as  we  have  no  means  of  dressing  him  here.  He 
seems  to  be  a  captain  of  Boxers. 

'  May  God  guide  our  steps,  for  we  are  at  our  wits'  end. 
Thank  Him  for  the  nerve  He  gave  us  men  (Mr.  Under- 
wood fired  his  revolver,  Mr.  Ennals  has  none),  and  also 
for  His  grace  to  the  women,  who  joined  in  prayer  while 
we  went  out.  Thank  Him  above  all  that  we  drove 
them  off  without  killing  any  of  them.  They  numbered 
probably  fifty  to  sixty.  We  may  not  live  to  add  more  . 
to  this  account.  But  we  are  still  in  God's  hands,  and 
hoping  for  possible  rescue.  Our  warmest  love  to  our 
children  and  to  their  guardians. 

*9  /.;;/. — Our  wounded  prisoner  says  the  band  came 
from  Hsin-chou  south  suburb,  sent  by  Yang  lao  yeh, 
who  is  attached  to  Hsii-Kuei-feng,  the  newly  arrived 
magistrate,  with  instructions  to  kill  us  all.  He  after  said 
that  Hsli-kuei-feng  himself  sent  them.  The  prisoner's 
name  is  Chang-yui-hsiang,  of  south  suburb.  Their 
leader's  name  is  Chang  Hsien,  of  south  suburb.  The 
man  they  killed  was  Chang  Chih  Kuo  of  Hsia-ho-pien. 
They  killed  him  simply  because  he  was  a  Christian.' 

With  this  entry  the  diary  abruptly  ends,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  terrible  story  is  given  in  the  description 
at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter. 


Il!f 


t^. 


From  the  last  letters  which  Mr.  McCurrach  wrote  to 


58  *In  Deaths  Oft' 

his  mother,  we  take  the  following  extract.  The  first  is 
dated  July  3,  1900  : — 

'  We  are  now  in  very  great  danger  of  losing  our  lives. 
Our  present  Governor  hates  foreigners,  and  his  desire  is 
to  murder  all  of  us.  He  has  sent  word  to  all  the  officials 
to  refuse  us  foreigners  protection,  in  event  of  trouble. 

'  We  had  hoped  to  flee  the  country  by  North  Man- 
churia, but  alas !  persecution  broke  out  in  the  north 
before  it  did  in  our  district,  and  as  there  is  fighting  at 
Pao  Fu,  there  is  absolutely  no  means  of  escape.  We 
stayed  at  home  until  Friday  night.  June  29,  about  6 
o'clock,  our  special  messenger  ran  all  night  to  inform  us 
that  the  T'ai-yueu-fu  missionaries  had  been  attacked, 
and  Dr.  Edwards's  premises  burned  to  the  ground.  We, 
on  hearing  this  news  by  our  postman,  all  decided  to  flee 
to  the  hills. 

'  This  is  a  sad  time  for  China.  If  all  missionaries  are 
murdered,  it  will  move  the  Church  in  a  remarkable  way. 
If  it  is  God's  way  of  evangelising  China,  then  surely  we 
ought  to  be  ready  to  die  for  the  Gospel's  sake.  None 
of  us  want  to  die,  but  we  all  want  to  say,  "  Thy  will  be 
done."  We  have  been  here  for  four  days  ;  we  hear  that 
the  soldiers  are  out  seeking  for  us  ;  if  that  be  so,  we  may 
be  caught  at  any  moment.  We  have  had  a  lot  of  rain, 
and  this  may  be  God's  way  of  saving  us.  He  delivered 
Peter  from  the  prison,  and  can  deliver  us,  if  it  be  His 
will.  It  is  very  dark.  I  can't  say  more.  Miss  Renaut 
and  Mr.  Ennals  are  writing  a  fuller  account  of  affairs, 
and  we  are  leaving  this  with  the'  natives  to  be  buried, 
until  another  missionary  comes  to  whom  it  can  be 
given. 

'  It  may  be  my  last  message  to  you  all.  Clara  and 
I  have  been  praying  for  you  all  one  by  one.  I  want  to 
meet  you  all   in   heaven.     Sorrow  not  for  us,  dearest 


Mr.  McCurrach's  Letters  59 

mother.  If  we  die,  I  trust  it  is  together,  and  then  we 
shall  enter  heaven  together  and  together  receive  our 
crowns. 

'  Wednesday  night.  —  Messenger  to-day  from  T'ai- 
yuen-fu.  Mr.  Farthing  and  twenty-five  more  are  prisoners 
in  T'ai-yuen-fu  awaiting  their  death.  Governor  sentenced 
them  to  death.  Thus  far  they  are  not  killed ;  we  hope  and 
pray  for  deliverance.  God  keeps  us  happy  and  cheerful, 
and  we  are  ready  to  die  if  it  be  His  will.  If  we  hear  of 
soldiers  coming,  we  are  going  to  do  a  bolt  to  another 

place. 

'  Men  are  busy  digging  a  cave.  We  are  justified  in 
fleeing,  since  our  Saviour  said,  "  If  they  persecute  you  in 
one  city,  flee  to  another."  May  God  deliver  and  save  us 
and  all  our  friends  1  May  He  comfort  your  hearts,  is  the 
prayer  of  your  loving  son  and  daughter.' 

The  second  letter  is  dated  Friday,  July  13,  1900:— 
'  Our  place  of  hiding  is  known  to  some,  but  it  is  our 
last  hope.  Yesterday  we  learned  that  all  missionaries, 
ladies,  and  children  at  T'ai-yuen-fu  were  beheaded, 
twenty-six  in  all,  besides  Frenchmen.  This  is  sad,  sad 
news;  our  hope  has  practically  almost  gone.  This  is 
a  most  awful  wave  of  persecution  that  has  broken  out. 
May  God  help  the  natives  !  One  of  my  evangelists,  the 
Fan  Shih  man,  and  an  enquirer,  were  burned  to  death. 
We  hear  of  other  murders  too.  This  must  be  God's 
way  of  purifying  the  Church  and  making  sure  of  its 
final  success.  We  have  some  provisions  which  can  keep 
body  and  soul  together  for  a  few  days,  if  we  are  spared 
so  long.  My  heart  goes  out  to  you,  knowing  how 
terribly  you  will  feel  for  us.  May  God  comfort  you,  and 
if  I  go  before  you  all,  then  I  will  await  your  arrival.  I 
could  write  on,  but  my  heart  is  too  full.  I  have  given 
the  main  points,  and  now  I  can  only  say— Good-bye, 


6o  'In  Deaths  Oft' 

God  bless  you  all,  and  keep  you  in  safety  and  comfort 
and  happiness.' 

'  Mr.  Ennals  also  kept  a  diary  during  the  fearful  days 
of  suspense  and  waiting  in  the  caves  near  Hsin-chou,  the 
city  where  he  had  been  stationed,  and  where  he  spent 
his  short  life  in  China.  From  this  document  we  give 
the  following  extracts  : — 

^  July  4,  1900. — The  last  two  nights  three  of  us  men 
have  been  sleeping  in  the  straw-house  where  we  have  our 
meals.  To-day  three  boxes  came  up  from  the  village 
down  below  where  we  stayed  to  rest  on  our  way  up. 
Two  contained  stores  and  one  clothes.  One  feels  quite 
unable  to  say  much  in  a  letter  under  these  sad  circum- 
stances ;  we  one  and  all,  however,  have  been  wonderfully 
calm,  trusting  in  God.  I  do  not  regret  I  came  to  China, 
and  although  my  life  will  have  been  short,  it  will  in  some 
way  have  fulfilled  the  Master's  will.  May  the  Lord's 
will  be  done  !  I  pray  earnestly  for  His  deliverance,  and 
feel  we  shall  have  it,  but  after  all  we  may  glorify  Him 
better  by  passing  through  a  deeper  persecution.  If  we 
flee  far  into  the  mountains  we  can  get  no  food.  We 
keep  coming  back  to  this,  that  the  Lord  is  near,  and  we 
are  safe  in  His  keeping.  We  sent  a  boy  off  to  Pao- 
ting-fu,  or  wherever  he  could  find  the  foreign  troops, 
to  try  and  bring  us  help.  We  are  adding  these  letters 
to  the  account  in  a  book  which  is  to  be  sent  home  if  we 
are  all  killed.  It  is  dreadful  writing  like  this,  but  you 
know  that  if  the  trumpet  call  comes,  I  shall  rejoice  to 
follow  my  Lord,  not  in  my  strength,  but  in  His  who 
giveth  strength  to  the  faint.  Good-bye,  dearest  ones ; 
may  the  Lord  take  all  the  future  in  His  hands,  and  grant 
us  all  to  meet  in  Jesus'  presence. 

'July  6. — There  has  been  trouble  at  each  of  our  three 


Mr.  Ennals'  Diary  6i 

north  stations,  Fan  Shih,  the  mission  place,  and  two 
Christians  are  burnt,  the  one  being  the  evangelist.  At 
Tai-chou  the  mission  place  is  burnt,  and  other  members' 
buildings  at  both  these  places.  At  Kuo  Hsien  the 
mission  place  has  been  looted.  At  Chi  ts'un  the 
mission  place  has  been  looted.  At  Chao  Mon  Chung 
one  Christian,  taken  by  his  heels  and  dragged  round  the 
place,  was  killed.  Truly  the  persecution  is  dreadful. 
We  hear  that  Tien-tsin  is  burnt  to  the  ground;  and 
Peking,  the  Chinese  have  surrounded  it. 

'  Where  is  our  deliverance  coming  ?  My  help  cometh 
from  the  Lord,  and  truly  in  Him  is  our  help.  We  have 
trusted  in  Him,  and  not  one  good  thing  of  all  that  the 
Lord  has  promised  has  ever  or  can  ever  fail  us.  May  the 
Lord  preserve  our  friends  and  us,  extending  us  speedy 
deliverance ;  if  not,  then  we  shall  meet  around  the  throne. 
The  Lord  watch  between  us.     Mizpah. 

'July  7.— On  the  night  the  Tung  Chia  Hsiang  was 
burnt,  Mr.  Farthing  saw  the  Governor  himself,  but  he 
said  he  was  too  busy  to  attend  to  that  business,  and 
when  the  other  four  officials  went  to  intercede,  he 
cursed  them.  Yet  we  trust  the  Lord  will  bring  the 
devices  of  the  wicked  to  nought.  We  rejoice  that  our 
times  are  in  God's  hands.  The  Lord  is  my  light  and 
my  salvation  ;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  Trust  in  the 
Lord  at  all  times.  Oh  the  peace  that  Jesus  gives  !  We 
want  to  know  this  more  and  more  day  by  day,  that  if 
He  shall  call  we  shall  gladly  answer.  Here  am  I,  Lord, 
come  to  do  Thy  will.  To-morrow  is  Sunday ;  may  the 
Lord  be  with  you  and  all  of  us  here,  and  if  we  meet  no 
more  on  earth  we  shall  in  heaven  sing  His  praises. 

'July  8. — Another  day  has  passed,  and  we  are  once 
more  drawing  near  to  sunset.  Our  hearts  are  full  of 
praise  to  the  Lord  for  all  His  goodness.     We  are  just 


62  <In  Deaths  Oft' 

here  waiting,  waiting   on  the  Lord  for  deliverance  for 
our  friends  and  ourselves  if  it  is  His  will. 

*  These  days  of  quiet  have  helped  us  to  see  the 
Saviour's  face,  and  if  He  calls  us  to  go,  or  if  during  this 
week  and  other  weeks  we  are  to  pass  through  severe 
trials,  we  trust  we  may  be  more  prepared.  We  strive  to 
feel  at  heart  "  that  One  above  in  perfect  wisdom,  perfect 
love  is  working  for  the  best."  I  know  this,  that  I  would 
not  wish  that  the  Lord  should  lead  us  by  any  other 
path  than  that  which  we  have  come ;  and  if  we  are  to 
be  still  more  refined  for  His  service,  we  will  praise  Him 
that  He  has  accounted  us  worthy  to  suffer  for  His  name. 
The  Lord  be  with  you  all  and  keep  you  safe  now  and 
for  ever.     "  He  is  our  Peace." 

''July  1 8. — I  fear  this  may  be  my  last  to  you.  We 
hear  there  are  a  hundred  Boxers  in  the  village  below, 
came  last  night,  6  o'clock.  We  moved  to  this  cave, 
warned  by  a  stranger.  "  The  angel  of  His  presence 
went  before  them."  We  are  half  a  mile  from  other  place, 
in  large  cave  and  dry.  The  Lord  alone  can  save  us.  If 
He  wants  us  to  glorify  Him  by  death,  think  of  us  as 
wearing  the  martyr's  crown  in  the  Master's  presence. 

*  We  shall  see  Jesus  and  walk  with  Him.  The  Lord 
bring  us  all  home  at  last.' 

Miss  Renaut's  letters  from  China  testify  to  her 
interest  in  the  work  of  the  station,  of  her  visits  to  the 
homes  of  the  people  in  company  with  Mrs.  Dixon,  and 
her  intense  earnestness  of  desire  to  be  able  to  speak  to 
those  around  her  the  words  of  eternal  life.  During  the 
awful  weeks  of  suspense  and  weary  wandering  over  hills 
and  hiding  in  dens  and  caves.  Miss  Renaut  managed  to 
keep  a  diary,  which  was  buried  and  afterwards  recovered. 
From  this  we  take  one  or  two  pathetic  pages : — 


'^m  ?/^   ^d(  tmd  n^^.^ 
€u  p,  a    Leu  a   pUd  o^'iuJ  ^. 

^    /v*v(U«    iirios/t    'mA^    "MtH     'J^WiVH,  *^6•H«/^^  -uri£^  U?  &it 

-S^     'hMt   I  •Cjl    y^      tCl(J^^  S)     im  ^rvv^t^  ^    ^***^   ^   ^«*«^ 
OuM      iO^     ,AA>t-    lUo    ^I'VK^.      "^     -t^'A-x^     ^    ><4rVU^  ^¥"<^ 
"U^    i/lA^oJi     6    -^L    ll/vA  iLf^    -^^   4^A^    ^d*^    -««^   ii^o  a-» 

lU^fu^A     "hOr.e      alL    ^lltX     /u>   Uc    -y^   "A^^ur^   £tH*/  "Vu^   C/i^  /:^?w^ 
eM**    U  cui  cJ    Joints.    *^  0^^  A^ftv  f^j*.^      iW^  fefl4.    -WO.  •*l«i' 

I.     LETTER   IN    THE   DIARY    FROM    MISS   RENAUT.      II.    THE    LAST 
ENTRY   IN   THE    DIARY. 

\Tofacep.6z. 


Miss  Renaut*s  Diary  63 

^  July  18. — This  is  our  twentieth  day.  Rescue  can 
soon  come.  God  grant  it  may  !  But  we  have  often  said 
we  would  rather  walk  with  God  in  the  dark  than  alone 
in  the  light,  and  now  we  can  prove  to  God  our  sincerity. 
He  is  making  us  willing.  Oh,  may  He  give  you  all 
grace  to  say  His  will  is  best !  In  prayer  for  you  all. 
Love  to  all  dear  friends. 

''July  21. — The  man  who  conducted  us  here  came 
last  night  to  tell  us  that  the  Boxers  were  in  his  village, 
and  advised  our  return  to  a  former  one.  At  2.45  an 
attack  was  made  from  ground  above,  great  stones  and 
boulders  being  hurled  in  at  mouth.  The  attack  was 
sharp  and  fearful,  but,  praise  God,  is  over  for  the  present 
— most  likely  only  to  be  renewed.  Alas !  one  of  our 
native  Christians  has  given  his  life  for  his  friends. 
Chang  Chih  Kuo  had  come  to  warn  us,  and  was 
captured  as  he  came.  They  tied  his  hands  behind  him 
and  battered  him  about  badly  and  cut  the  side  of  his 
throat.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  converts.  He  is  in 
glory.  .  .  .  We  may  be  able  to  thank  him  in  a  day  or 
two.  .  .  .  One  of  the  Boxers  was  wounded — a  real  Boxer 
— we  are  going  to  wash  his  wounds.  The  Christians 
have  all  fled,  so  we  do  not  know  how  news  can  come. 
Moving  seems  out  of  the  question.  We  are  praying 
for  guidance,  and  do  not  expect  another  attack  for  a 
day  or  two.  To-day  we  are  sitting  out  in  the  valley, 
which  after  so  much  close  confinement  is  beautiful, 
but  the  beauty  of  it  seems  mockery — the  groans  of 
the  wounded  man,  and  the  great  sharp  boulders 
lying  about,  make  us  lift  our  hearts  to  God,  and  pray. 
Psalm  Ixx.' 

Here  the  record  ends. 

When  the  diary  from  which  all  the  extracts  given 
in  this  chapter  are  taken  was  recovered,  the  following 


64  'In  Deaths  Oft' 

touching  letter'i  was  found  with  it,  and  forwarded  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Baptist  Zenana  Mission : — 

'J^'iy  13,  1900. 
'  Dear  Miss  Angus, — You  will  know  our  circum- 
stances from  the  diary  in  which  this  is  enclosed.  Give  my 
love  to  the  Committee.  We  have  food  enough  for  a  few 
days  and  water  for  two ;  the  nearest  is  a  mile  of  difficult 
climb,  but  the  gentlemen  will  try  for  it,  if  we  are  left  so 
long.  We  have  heard  almost  certain  tidings  of  the 
execution  of  all  our  friends  at  T'ai-Yuen  —  all  Mrs. 
Farthing's  dear  children  and  many  others  —  and  they 
were  taken  to  the  Yamen  under  pretence  of  protection, 
and  two  days  afterwards  massacred.  Chao  Hsien 
Sheng  has  been  gone  fifteen  days  towards  the  coast 
seeking  help,  our  cook  about  eight,  and  to-day  another 
evangelist  to  Kalgan.  We  are  not  building  on  assistance. 
God  is  helping  us.  He  has  given  us  wonderful  strength 
and  surefootedness  for  hard  climbing.  China's  Chris- 
tians are  splendid.  Lui  Chia  Shan  villagers  have  risked 
their  lives  for  us,  and  now  have  had  to  flee  from  their 
village  without  food  and  money.  All  our  servants  are 
faithful. — XMth  love  to  you  all.  Yours  sincerely, 

'  Bessie  Renaut.' 


CHAPTER  VI 

•Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented '^ 

Before  the  events  narrated  in  the  last  chapter  had 
begun,  others  of  a  like  nature,  in  different  parts  of  the 
province  of  Shan-si,  had  been  perpetrated. 

I.  HSIAO-I-HSIEN 

Hsiao-I-Hsien,  a  county  town  about  seventy-five 
miles  south-west  of  T'ai-yuen-fu,  was  the  scene  of  a  most 
brutal  massacre.  It  is  one  of  the  stations  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission  in  that  district,  and  was  occupied  at 
the  time  by  Miss  Whitchurch  and  Miss  Searell.  The 
narrative  of  the  events  which  happened  there  is  largely 
that  of  a  Chinese  Christian  teacher,  named  Wang 
Ying-Kuei,  who  nearly  shared  the  fate  of  his  foreign 
friends. 

The  first  intimation  of  trouble  was  the  arrival,  on 
June  27,  1900,  of  the  letter  messenger,  who  brought 
the  news  that,  on  the  day  previous,  the  station  of  Ping 
Yao  had  been  looted,  and  that  Mr.  Saunders,  who  was 
in  charge  of  it,  had  fled  northward  towards  T'ai-yuen- 
fu.  The  ladies  thereupon  sent  a  messenger  to  Fen- 
chou-fu,  which  is  about  ten  miles  to  the  west,  asking  for 
information.     The    messenger    returned    on    June    28, 

^  For  biographical   details  of  missionaries  mentioned  in  this  chapter, 
see  pp.  451-478. 
5 


66     *  Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

with  the  news  that  the  missionaries  there  had  also  been 
attacked.  This  news  the  messenger  had  carelessly  told 
the  towns-people,  with  the  result  that  a  great  crowd  fol- 
lowed the  messenger  to  the  door  of  the  mission  premises. 
While  the  ladies  were  reading  the  letter  which  they  had 
just  received,  the  Chinese  who  surrounded  them  asked 
what  it  contained.  But  the  ladies  would  not  tell  them  ; 
they  only  said,  '  Let  us  have  some  prayer.' 

While  they  were  praying,  the  crowd  began  beating 
the  outer  door  and  making  a  great  disturbance.  The 
ladies  then  went  to  open  the  door  leading  on  to  the 
street,  but  could  not,  as  the  pile  of  brickbats  which  had 
been  thrown  against  it  prevented  them  from  drawing 
the  bolt.  They  then  said,  '  We  cannot  open  the  door ; 
perhaps  this  is  God's  method  of  protecting  us.'  Then 
the  ladies  and  the  faithful  Chinese  Christians  who  were 
with  them  went  to  an  inner  courtyard,  and  there  sang 
some  hymns  together.  The  crowd  being  unable  to  force 
open  the  house  door,  attacked  the  door  of  the  chapel, 
which  was  soon  burst  open.  The  ladies  with  some  of 
the  Chinese  then  went  outside,  and  Miss  Whitchurch 
spoke  to  the  crowd,  asking  the  people  what  harm  they 
had  ever  done  them,  and  trying  to  persuade  them  to 
go  away  quietly.  While  she  was  speaking  to  them  the 
people  were  very  quiet. 

Meanwhile  the  deacon  of  the  native  Church,  named 
Heh-siao-fu,  having  climbed  over  the  back  wall,  had 
rushed  to  the  Yamen  and  rung  the  bell  which  is  kept  in 
all  Yamens  as  the  signal  for  help  in  dire  distress.  The 
mandarin  set  out  at  once,  without  even  waiting  to  don 
his  official  robes.  On  arrival  at  the  chapel,  he  found 
things  fairly  quiet,  and  he  turned  round  and  accused 
Deacon  Heh  of  having  deceived  him.  He  made  him 
kneel  before  him,  and  with  his  own  hands  he  boxed  his 


Ladies  Murdered  while  Praying      67 

ears,  and  his  underlings  joined  in  kicking  him.  The 
mandarin  then  came  into  the  chapel  and  asked  the  ladies 
why  they  did  not  go  away.  They  replied  that  they  did 
not  wish  to  go. 

On  leaving  he  told  them  to  shut  the  chapel  door,  but 
as  it  had  been  broken  by  the  crowd,  this  was  impossible. 
He  told  the  local  constable  to  guard  the  door,  and 
then  left.  The  constable  informed  the  ladies  that  he 
could  not  defend  the  door  himself,  but  if  they  wished 
he  would  hire  three  men  to  help  him,  and  to  this  they 
consented.  The  crowd,  however,  soon  became  un- 
manageable again,  and  the  constable  and  the  hired  men 
all  fled.  The  rioters  then  smashed  the  gate  of  the 
courtyard  leading  to  the  house.  The  ladies  remained 
standing  in  the  chapel,  hoping  to  be  able  to  speak  to  the 
crowd.  The  crowd  were,  however,  now  in  no  mood  for 
listening  to  anything  they  might  say.  They  were  soon 
assailed  with  brickbats,  and  they  then  retired  to  the 
inner  courtyard  and  united  in  prayer. 

Then  the  mandarin  came  again,  and  said  to  the  ladies, 
*  If  you  do  not  go,  I  cannot  protect  you  ' ;  and  they  replied 
'  We  have  nowhere  to  go  to.'  '  Well,  then,'  he  said,  '  I 
cannot  protect  you.'  The  native  Christians  dared  to 
remonstrate  with  him,  but  without  effect.  He  forced  all 
the  Chinese  Christians  to  flee  except  their  cook,  named 
Yao,  who  remained  with  them  to  prepare  their  food. 
That  night  they  were  free  from  molestation,  but  early 
the  following  morning,  June  29,  the  crowd  reassembled, 
and  began  at  once  their  cruel  work.  They  forced  their 
way  into  the  house  where  the  ladies\vere.  They  took  up 
the  ornaments  in  the  room  and  other  things,  asked  what 
they  were,  and  then  flung  them  violently  at  the  helpless 
women.  They  were  thus  slowly  battered  to  death  while 
they  remained  kneeling  in  prayer.  Their  bodies  were  then 


68     ^Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

stripped,  exposed,  and  defiled.    All  their  goods  were  piled 
in  a  heap  in  the  courtyard,  and  gradually  disappeared. 

The  magistrates  sent  two  cheap  coffins,  such  as  are 
supplied  to  pauper  criminals,  and  their  poor  battered 
bodies  were  placed  in  those,  and  finally  laid  in  the 
baptistery  of  the  chapel.  One  of  the  last  undertakings 
of  Miss  Searell  had  been  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction of  this  baptistery,  which,  with  her  great  love 
for  flowers,  she  had  bordered  with  flower-beds.  It  was 
done  all  unwittingly  '  against  their  burial.'  There  these 
two  noble  women  lie  *  Until  He  come.' 


II. 

Twenty  miles  south  of  T'ai-yuen-fu  is  the  county 
town  of  T'ai  Ku.  Here  were  stationed,  during  the 
summer  of  1900,  six  missionaries  of  the  American  Board 
(A.B.C.F.M.) :  Rev.  Dwight  H.  Clapp  and  Mrs.  Clapp, 
Rev.  Francis  W.  Davis,  Rev.  George  L.  Williams,  Miss 
Rowena  Bird,  and  Miss  Mary  L.  Partridge.  Although 
two  ladies  had  been  murdered  on  June  29  at  Hsiao-I, 
and  the  larger  party  massacred  at  T'ai-yuen-fu  on  July  9, 
yet  no  movement  or  measures  of  defence  seem  to  have 
been  taken  by  the  missionaries  at  T'ai  Ku,  except  to 
recall  Miss  Partridge  from  an  out-station. 

The  news  of  these  events  seems  to  have  reached  them, 
and  it  seems  inexplicable  that  they  did  not  seek  safety 
in  flight.  Some  native  Christian  women  had  fled  to  the 
hills,  but  soon  came  back,  as  they  could  not  remain 
away  for  want  of  food,  and  the  purchase  of  a  quantity  at 
one  time  excited  suspicion.  The  missionaries  evidently 
relied  for  protection  on  the  local  official,  who  had  all 
along  proved  friendly;  but,  from  a  diary  kept  by  Mr. 
Clapp,    which   has   an   entry    as   late    as    July    16,   it 


w 


r    1 


THE   T'AI    KU    HSIEX    MARTYRS. 


R.    BIRD. 

MRS.    CLAPP, 
G.    L,    WILLIAMS. 


M.    L.    PARTRIDGE. 
D.    H.    CLAPP. 

F.    \V.    DAVIS. 


iTo  face  p.  b%. 


The  Murders  at  T'ai  Ku  Hsien      69 

seems  that  then  the  missionaries  had  given  up  all  hope 
of  being  saved,  though  they  appear  to  have  quietly 
carried  on  their  work  as  far  as  possible  till  the  very  last. 
This  they  continued  till  July  31,  1900,  when  the 
Chinese  with  them  numbered  eight,  all  the  others  having 
one  by  one  gradually  disappeared.  These  eight  nobly 
waited  till  the  end  came,  and  some  died  in  their 
company. 

On  July  31,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  cry 
was  heard  of  '  Kill,  kill ! '  and  the  yells  of  the  approaching 
mob  gradually  grew  louder.  The  missionaries  and  some 
Chinese  retired  to  the  flat  roof  of  one  of  their  premises, 
and  determined  to  make  a  stand.  They  saw  approaching 
a  band  of  some  three  hundred  Boxers  and  soldiers, 
evidently  sent  by  Yii  Hsien  to  attack  them.  The 
friendly  official  had  been  removed  only  two  days  before. 
The  mob  soon  set  fire  to  the  buildings  facing  the  street, 
and  broke  in  the  front  gate  of  the  compound.  An  elder 
of  the  native  Church,  named  Liu,  and  a  most  valued 
helper,  was  calmly  sitting  in  a  chair  in  the  courtyard, 
when  the  soldiers  set  upon  him,  and  killed  him.  The 
three  gentlemen  fired  on  the  mob  from  the  roof,  and 
killed  some  of  their  assailants,  but  their  ammunition 
soon  gave  out,  and  they  were  easily  overpowered  and 
beheaded.  The  heads  of  them  all  were  sent  in  a  basket 
to  T'ai-yuen-fu  to  the  Governor.  Their  bodies  were 
thrown  into  the  flames  of  the  burning  houses,  and  were 
speedily  reduced  to  ashes. 

Thus  these  faithful  missionaries,  who  had  evidently 
determined  not  to  forsake  their  converts  in  the  hour  of 
their  trial,  passed  to  their  reward. 


70     *  Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 


III.   FEN-CHOU-FU 

Fen-chou-fu  is  situated  fifty  miles  south-west  of  T'ai- 
yuen-fu,  and  about  ten  miles  from  Hsiao-I,  the  station 
where  Misses  Whitchurch  and  Searell  were  murdered. 
The  foreign  residents  in  Fen-chou-fu  were  amongst  the 
last  objects  of  Yu  Hsien's  diabolical  designs.  The 
prefect  and  the  district  magistrates  had  both  been 
friendly  to  the  missionaries,  and  up  to  August  13,  1900, 
they  had  been  able  to  protect  them. 

On  that  day  the  prefect  died,  and  the  Governor  sent 
a  new  man,  who  was  in  full  sympathy  with  his  murderous 
plans.  Two  days  after  his  arrival,  this  man  demanded 
of  the  local  magistrate  why  the  foreigners  had  not  been 
driven  out,  saying  that  in  all  other  places  they  had  been 
forced  to  fly  for  their  lives.  The  magistrate  replied 
that  these  Americans  were  peaceable  and  kindly 
disposed  people,  and  that  he  had  no  occasion  to  send 
them  away.  The  prefect  insisted  that  they  should  go 
within  two  days,  so  that  the  local  magistrate  had  no 
choice  but  to  comply.  The  prefect  then  arrested  the 
native  dispenser  at  the  hospital,  and  had  him  beaten 
three  hundred  blows  with  a  bamboo  rod,  and  sent  him 
to  fetch  all  the  firearms  belonging  to  the  missionaries. 
These  were  accordingly  given  up :  two  pistols  and  two 
rifles  or  guns. 

A  few  days'  respite  were  demanded  for  Mrs.  Atwater, 
who  was  nearing  her  confinement,  but  the  prefect  insisted 
that  they  must  leave  for  the  coast  on  the  following  day. 
Four  country  carts,  roughly  made  and  without  springs, 
were  prepared,  and  some  of  the  missionaries'  goods  were 
packed  in  them.  They  were  to  start  on  August  15, 
and  a  guard  of  twenty  soldiers  was  got  ready.     As  soon 


Broken  Promises  71 

as  these  arrangements  had  been  made,  the  houses  of  the 
missionaries  were  placed  under  official  seal.         ^ 

The  missionaries  requested  that  they  might  be 
permitted  to  sell  their  houses  to  secure  some  money 
for  their  journey,  but  the  official  replied  that  all  their 
property  had  been  confiscated  by  Imperial  decree,  and 
so  could  not  be  sold,  but  that  a  small  property  belonging 
to  the  Mission  at  one  of  their  out-stations  might  be  sold. 
This  was  accordingly  done,  and  for  property  worth  two 
thousand  taels  of  silver  the  official  gave  them  one 
hundred  and  fifty  taels.  ^  .     ,     t     1 

One  of  the  native  assistants  named  Mr.  Fei,  who  had 
nobly  stood  by  the  missionaries  through  all  this  trying 
and   perilous   time,   accompanied   them   on   horseback. 
He  was  soon,  however,  obliged  to  dismount  and  go  on 
the  cart.     They  left  the  city,  in  full  sight  of  thousands  of 
spectators,  on  August  1 5,  IQOO.     The  party  of  foreigners 
consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwater  and  two  little  girls, 
Celia  and  Bertha,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Price  and  their 
daughter    Florence,  ■- all    of   these    belonged    to    the 
American  Board  Mission ;  there  were  also  Mr.  and  Mrs 
A  P  Lundgren,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  stationed 
at  Ku-hui,  and  Miss  Annie  Eldred,  of  the  China  Inland 
Mission,   from    P'ing-yang-fu.      These   friends    of    the 
CI.M.    were    staying   with    the   missionaries    in    Fen- 
chou-fu  by  invitation.     On  one  cart  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Atwater  and  two  children,  Mrs.  Lundgren,  and  Mr.  Fei ; 
on  the  second  cart  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  and  daughter, 
Miss    Eldred,   and   Mr.    Lundgren,   with   two   Chinese 
Christians  and  the  baggage. 

They  went  together  some  miles,  and  as  they  thought 
they  were  escaping  from  death  they  became  quite 
cheerful,  one  lady  saying,  '  What  a  turnout  there  was 
to   escort  us!'  and   another   adding,  'What   fine   new 


72     < Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented* 

uniforms  the  soldiers  wore ! '  and  the  children  were  kept 
amused  by  the  Chinese  teacher,  Mr.  Fei.  When  they 
had  nearly  reached  K'ai-chih,  a  market  town  thirty-seven 
miles  north-east  of  Fen-chou-fu  on  the  way  to  Tien-tsin, 
one  of  the  soldiers  said  to  Mr.  Fei,  *  Escape  for  your 
life !  We  are  about  to  kill  the  foreigners.'  On  this  he 
fled,  and  finally  escaped  to  tell,  with  intense  feeling  and 
vivid  minuteness  of  detail,  all  that  befell  those  whom  he 
loved  so  well,  and  from  whom  he  had  found  it  so  hard 
to  part. 

Just  as  the  doomed  party  were  entering  the  village, 
they  were  met  by  an  official  named  Lu,  and  on  his 
firing  a  shot  as  a  signal,  his  attendants  and  the  soldiers 
set  upon  the  helpless  missionaries  and  despatched  them 
with  their  swords  and  bayonets,  then  stripped  them  of 
their  clothing,  and  left  their  bodies  by  the  roadside. 
Finally,  at  the  instigation  of  the  villagers,  the  bodies 
were  buried  by  the  soldiers  in  a  pit  near  by. 

Mrs.  Atwater,  during  that  awful  month  of  suspense 
before  the  end  came,  wrote  to  her  family  thus  : — 

'  We  have  tried  to  get  away  to  the  hills,  but  the  plans 
do  not  work.  Our  things  are  being  stolen  right  and 
left,  for  the  people  know  we  are  condemned.  Why  our 
lives  have  been  spared  we  cannot  tell.  .  .  .  Dear  ones, 
I  long  for  a  sight  of  your  dear  faces,  but  I  fear  we  shall 
not  meet  on  earth.  I  have  loved  you  so  much,  and 
know  you  will  not  forget  the  one  who  lies  in  China.  .  .  . 
I  am  preparing  for  the  end  very  quietly  and  calmly. 
The  Lord  is  wonderfully  near,  and  He  will  not  fail  me. 
I  was  very  restless  and  excited  while  there  seemed  a 
chance  of  life,  but  God  has  taken  away  that  feeling,  and 
now  I  just  pray  for  grace  to  meet  the  terrible  end 
bravely.  The  pain  will  soon  be  over,  and  oh!  the 
sweetness  of  the  welcome  above.  ...  I  do  not  regret 
coming  to  China,  but  I  am  sorry  I  have  done  so  little. 


Yo-Yang  and  Ho-tsin  73 

My  married  life,  ten  precious  years,  has  been  so  very 
full  of  happiness.  We  will  die  together,  my  dear 
husband  and  I.  I  used  to  dread  separation.  If  we 
escape  now,  it  will  be  a  miracle.  I  send  my  love  to  you 
all,  and  the  dear  friends  who  remember  me. — Your  loving 
sister,  *  LiZZlE.' 

This  letter  was  written  on  August  3,  just  twelve 
days  before  the  end.  Thus  the  whole  family,  includ- 
ing four  children,  perished  :  Ernestine  and  Mary  in  the 
massacre  at  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  the  two  youngest,  Bertha 
and  Celia,  in  the  party  from  Fen-chou-fu. 

IV.   YO-YANG  AND   HO-TSIN 

Time  and  space  would  fail  to  recount  all  the  tales 
of  martyrdom  and  perilous  adventures  in  escaping  for 
their  lives  which  befell  missionaries  in  various  parts  of 
China.  But  an  endeavour  must  be  made  to  commem- 
orate the  other  martyrs  who  fell  during  the  troubles 
of  the  year  1900. 

Mr.  David  Barratt,  one  of  the  missionaries  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission  connected  with  Yo-yang  station, 
near  Lu-ch'eng  -  fu,  Shan  -  si,  died  of  sickness  and 
privation  at  T'ang-ch'eng.  He  was  a  bright,  active 
Christian  from  Australia,  full  of  enthusiasm  for  the 
work,  earnest  and  eager  in  preaching  the  word  of  life. 
He  had  the  opportunity  to  do  this  for  only  about 
two  years  before  his  death.  He  reached  his  station 
in  December  1898.  Mr.  Alfred  Woodroffe  was  Mr. 
Barratt's  colleague  in  Yo-yang.  He  also  died  of 
privation  and  suffering  amongst  the  mountains  of 
Shan-si.  He  had  only  joined  the  Mission  in  1897,  and 
had  been  trained  for  three  years  by  Dr.  Guinness, 
at    Harley   and   Cliff  Colleges.      By  his   death   at  the 


74     '  Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented  ' 

early  age  of  twenty-eight  a  promising  career  was  cut 
short. 

A  party  from  Ho-tsin,  in  South  Shan-si,  near  the 
borders  of  Shen-si,  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M'Connell 
and  child,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Young,  with  Miss  E.  Burton 
and  Miss  A.  King,  were  all  barbarously  murdered  by 
a  band  of  soldiers  at  Tseng-kia-uan,  a  ferry  on  the 
Yellow  River,  on  July  i6,  1900.  They  supposed  the 
soldiers  had  come  to  escort  them,  but  they  had  been 
sent  expressly  to  murder  the  party.  This  company 
consisted  of  the  missionary  workers  whose  records  are 
given  below. 

Mr.  George  M'Connell  came  originally  from  the 
north  of  Ireland,  and  was  engaged  as  a  home  mission- 
ary in  Dundee,  Scotland,  when  he  offered  for  work  in 
China.  He  arrived  in  China  in  1890,  opened  the 
station  of  Ho-tsin,  married  Miss  Isabella  Gray  of  the 
same  Mission  in  December  1894.  Miss  Gray  came 
from  Dundee  in  1892.  These  two  had  much  trial  to 
endure  ere  they  attained  the  martyr's  crown.  Their 
only  remaining  child,  Kenneth,  died  with  them. 

Mr.  John  Young  came  from  Glasgow  to  China  in 
1896.  He  was  able  to  acquire  the  Chinese  language 
so  as  to  speak  fluently  in  a  comparatively  short  time, 
and  was  settled  in  Ki-chau,  a  lonely  station  in  the 
mountains  of  Shan-si.  He  married,  in  1899,  Miss  Sarah 
Alice  Troyer,  who  came  from  Indiana  to  China  in  the 
same  year  as  her  husband,  so  that  they  had  little  more 
than  a  year  of  married  life  when  they  left  their  station 
to  join  Mr.  M'Connell's  party,  and  perished  with  them. 

Miss  Annie  King,  who  came  from  Chesterfield  to 
China  in  1898,  Miss  Burton  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Burton 
were  murdered  at  the  same  time.  All  three  were 
workers  of  promise. 


THE   YOYAXG   AND    HO   TSIN   MARTYRS. 

A.   KING.  D.    BAKRATT. 

MR.   AND    MRS.    MCCONNELL. 
A.    WOODROFFE.  E.    BURTON. 

J.    YOUNG.  MRS.   YOUNG. 

iTofacep.  74- 


K*u-wu  and  Ta-ning  75 

V.  k'u-\vu 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  Kay,  with  their  daughter  Jennie, 
left  their  station  of  K'u-wu,  near  P'ing-yang-fu,  South 
Shan-si,  in  company  with  Mr.  Graham  M'Kie,  Miss 
Chapman,  and  Miss  Way,  on  July  4,  1900.  The  three 
latter,  having  by  agreement  separated  from  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kay,  were  finally  rescued.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kay, 
after  escaping  to  the  mountains  and  wandering  about 
for  nearly  two  months,  were  murdered  by  a  band  of 
Boxers  on  August  30,  1900.  They  left  three  children, 
who  were  being  educated  in  the  China  Inland  Mission 
school  in  Chefoo.  Mr.  Duncan  Kay  and  his  wife  were 
esteemed  as  amongst  the  best  workers  in  the  Mission ; 
both  were  exceptionally  good  speakers  of  the  Chinese 
language.  Mr.  Kay  had  been  sent  from  the  Yang-tze 
valley  owing  to  ill-health.  As  an  evangelist  and  as  a 
teacher  he  stood  high,  and  as  an  eager,  anxious  worker 
for  Christ  he  had  few  equals.  He  joined. the  Mission  in 
1884,  and  was  thus  an  experienced  worker.  Mrs.  Kay 
was  as  successful  amongst  the  women  and  girls  as  her 
husband  was  amongst  the  men  and  boys  in  the  land 
of  their  adoption. 

VI.  TA-NING 

Miss  F.  E.  Nathan,  Miss  M.  R.  Nathan,  and  Miss  M. 
Heaysman  were  working  together  in  the  station  of 
Ta-ning,  in  Shan-si,  near  the  Yellow  River,  on  the 
borders  of  Shen-si.  These  three  appear  to  have  been 
murdered  at  that  place,  along  with  the  faithful  Christian 
natives,  on  August  13,  1900.  They  had,  like  others, 
wandered  about  amongst  the  hills,  being  sheltered  by 
native  Christians.    They  finally  took  refuge  in  a  cave,  but 


"j^i     ^Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

were  discovered,  brought  back  to  Ta-ning,  and  murdered 
outside  the  west  gate  of  that  city. 

Miss  F.  E.  Nathan  sailed  for  China  in  September 
1894,  and,  after  some  time  passed  in  study  at  Yang-chau, 
she  took  up  work  in  Ta-ning  in  1896.  She  had  the 
work  amongst  the  women  much  at  heart,  and  was  a 
devout  and  earnest  worker.  Miss  M.  R.  Nathan  joined 
her  sister  in  Ta-ning  in  1899.  She  had  had  a  good 
school  and  college  education,  and  was  successful  as 
a  teacher  before  leaving  for  China.  She  was  studying 
the  Chinese  language,  and  helping  as  far  as  possible 
in  the  work,  when  called  upon  to  lay  down  her  life. 

Miss  Mary  Heaysman  went  with  her  parents  to 
Australia  when  she  was  ten  years  of  age.  When 
twenty  years  of  age,  after  some  preliminary  training 
at  Hope  College,  Adelaide,  she  sailed  for  China  in  1897. 
She  worked  for  some  time  with  Miss  Chapman  at 
I-ch'eng,  under  Mr.  Duncan  Kay's  direction,  and  just 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  troubles  had  been  sent 
to  join  the  Misses  Nathan  at  Ta-ning.  Her  last  letter 
to  her  home  friends  was  headed, '  There  shall  be  showers 
of  blessing.' 

VII.  SI-CHAU 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peat  and  two  children,  along  with  Miss 
Dobson  and  Miss  Hurn,  were  murdered  by  Boxers 
from  K'u-wu  at  Liang-shi-kia  Memorial  Arch,  in  the 
Ai-keo  Mountains.  This  party  had  come  from  their 
station  of  Si-chau,  near  Ta-ning,  in  South  Shan-si,  and 
were  murdered  about  the  same  time  as  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kay.  They  had  been  wandering  about  amongst  the 
mountains  for  some  weeks  before  they  were  found  and 
killed. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Peat  were  both  from  Scotland  : 


Ta-tung-fu  Murders  77 

Mr.  Peat  from  Hamilton,  Mrs.  Peat,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Helen  Mackenzie,  from  Oidiquhiil,  Banffshire. 
Mr.  Peat,  who  was  formerly  engaged  in  an  architect's 
office,  joined  the  China  Inland  Mission  in  1887.  His 
station  was  originally  P'ing-yao,  but  after  his  marriage 
in  1 89 1  he  was  stationed  at  Si-chau.  Mrs.  Peat,  before 
coming  to  China,  had  been  an  earnest  worker  in  con- 
nection with  the  Carrubbers  Close  Mission  in  Edin- 
burgh. She  had  worked  in  Gan-ren,  in  Kiang-si,  for 
about  a  year  before  she  married  Mr.  Peat,  and  then 
went  to  Shan-si.  '  She  loved  the  Chinese,  and  was  full 
of  enthusiasm,  tact,  and  common  sense.'  Their  two 
children,  Margaretta,  aged  seven  years,  and  Mary,  three 
years,  were  with  their  parents  at  the  time  of  their  death, 
and  suffered  the  same  fate. 

Miss  Edith  L.  Dobson  was  trained  as  a  hospital  nurse 
before  coming  to  China,  where  she  arrived  in  1894, 
spending  two  years  in  the  Sanatorium  at  Chefoo  as 
nurse  and  assistant  to  Dr.  Douthwaite.  She  joined  the 
Si-chau  Mission  station  in  1896,  and  her  services  were 
much  valued,  both  as  worker  amongst  the  Chinese,  and 
as  a  nurse  to  her  fellow-missionaries  when  sick.  Miss 
Emma  Georgina  Hurn  had  only  arrived  in  China  in 
1898,  and  was  thus  a  little  more  than  two  years  a 
worker  in  that  land.  She  was  born  in  Peckham  Rye, 
London,  in  1868;  converted  in  1890;  and  had  been 
a  valued  worker  in  connection  with  the  Y.W.C.A. 
movement  before  coming  to  China.  Her  life  in  China 
was  marked  by  a  prayerful  and  earnest  spirit. 

VIII.  THE  TA-TUNG-FU   MASSACRE 

On  June  14,  1900,  the  Boxer  movement  made  its 
first  appearance  in  Ta-tung-fu,  in  North  Shan-si.     Here 


yS     *  Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

were  stationed  :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  S.  I' Anson  and  three 
children ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  M'Kee  and  two 
children  ;  Miss  M.  Aspden,  and  Miss  M.  E.  Smith — all 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission. 

On  June  24  the  crowd  assembled  and  burst  into 
the  mission  compound,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M'Kee  and  their 
daughter  Alice,  with  Miss  Aspden  and  Miss  Smith, 
having  barely  time  to  escape.  A  number  of  the  crowd 
rushed  after  them,  and  threw  stones.  Mr.  M'Kee  fell 
stunned  with  a  wound  in  his  head,  and  Mrs.  M'Kee 
had  her  ankle  injured  and  fell  insensible,  and  they  were 
left  for  dead.  Recovering,  they  took  refuge  in  a  shop, 
and  finally  gained  the  Yamen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'Anson 
and  children,  living  in  another  compound,  had  also  fled 
to  the  Yamen,  where  they  were  kindly  received.  The 
Hsien  magistrate  did  his  best  to  protect  them,  and  for 
a  few  days  they  remained  in  his  Yamen.  On  June  27 
they  were  taken  back  to  Mr.  M'Kee's  house,  and  given 
a  guard  of  fifty  soldiers  to  protect  them. 

On  the  evening  of  June  30,  Mrs.  M'Kee  gave  birth  to 
a  son.  The  guard  of  soldiers  were  gradually  withdrawn, 
till  on  July  12  only  two  remained.  The  same  evening 
a  minor  official  called,  and  advised  them  all  not  to  leave 
the  house  nor  let  any  one  of  their  converts  come  near 
them.  An  hour  later,  the  crowd  burst  in  upon  them. 
The  house  was  surrounded  by  three  hundred  horse  and 
foot  soldiers,  so  that  there  was  no  chance  of  escape, 
while  the  Boxers  did  their  fiendish  work. 

Mr.  M'Kee  and  Mr.  I'Anson  were  killed  first,  and 
then  the  women  and  children.  Alice  M'Kee  hid  in  the 
cow-house,  but  was  discovered,  and  thrown  into  the 
flames  of  the  burning  houses.  In  all,  about  one  hundred 
persons,  including  Catholic  and  Protestant  missionaries 
and  Christian  natives,  were  killed  in  Tatung. 


THE    TA   TUNG   FU    MARTYRS. 

MK.    AND    MRS.    M'KEE.  M.    E.   SMITH.  M.    ASPDEX. 

MR.    AND    MRS.    i'AXSOX    AXD   TWO    CHILDREX. 


[To  face  p.  78.. 


The  So-ping-fu  Murders  79 

IX.  SO-PING-FU 

Ten  associate  members  of  the  China  Inland  Mission, 
belonging  to  the  Swedish  Holiness  Union,  were 
murdered  in  June  1900,  near  So-ping-fu,  in  North 
Shan-si  With  them  also  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Forsberg 
and  their  child,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Blomberg  and  a 
child.  These  all  belonged  to  the  Christian  and  Missionary 
Alliance  Mission,  and  came  from  the  neighbouring 
stations  of  H'un-yun  and  Tso-yun,  also  in  the  provmce 
of  Shan-si.  The  ten  members  of  the  Swedish  Holmess 
Union  were:  Mr.  N.  Carlsson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  A. 
Persson,  Mr.  G.  E.  Karlberg,  Mr.  O.  A.  L.  Larsson,  Mr. 
E.  Petterson,  Miss  M.  Hedlund,  Miss  A.  Johansson, 
Miss  J.  Lundell,  and  Miss  J.  Engvall. 

A  conference  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Swedish 
Holiness  Union  had  been  arranged  for  June  24  at  So- 
ping-fu,  this  being  the  day  upon  which  the  Convention 
of  the  mother  Church  in  Sweden  fell.  The  Boxer 
troubles  had  been  so  serious  in  the  neighbouring  stations 
that  the  missionaries  decided  to  go  to  Kalgan,  and 
escape  northwards  if  possible.  But  before  they  could 
get  away  the  mob  burst  in  upon  them,  and  they 
hurriedly  escaped  to  the  Yamen,  where  the  official  was 
friendly.  The  mob  burned  the  mission  premises  on 
June  26,  and  went  to  the  Yamen,  and  insisted  on  the 
missionaries  being  delivered  to  them  to  be  killed.  The 
magistrate,  in  order  to  pacify  them,  told  the  mob  that 
he  had  orders  to  send  the  missionaries  bound  to  Peking, 
and  in  order  to  give  colour  to  his  statement  had  five 
of  the  party  put  into  fetters,  and  this  seemed  to  satisfy 
the  mob  for  the  time  being.  Early  on  the  morning 
of  June  27,  they  were  taken  outside  the  city  in  carts, 
where,    however,    the    crowd    was    waiting    for    them. 


8o     *  Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented* 

and  they  were  immediately  torn  from  the  carts  and 
stoned  to  death  ;  the  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forsberg 
was,  indeed,  torn  asunder  by  the  violence  of  the  mob. 
Messrs.  Carlsson  and  Persson  managed  to  flee,  but 
were  pursued,  overtaken,  and  killed.  The  corpses  of 
these  two  were  burned,  but  all  the  others  were  buried 
in  a  field  close  by,  their  heads  having  been  previously 
cut  off  and  hung  up  on  the  city  wall.  H'un-yun  and 
Tso-yiin  were  looted  and  afterwards  destroyed  by  fire. 

X.  THE  CHICAGO  MISSION   AMONG  THE  MONGOLS 

The  Scandinavian  Alliance  Mission  of  Chicago 
established  a  mission  for  work  amongst  the  Mongols  in 
1896.  The  members  of  the  Mission  were:  Mr.  D.  W. 
Stenberg,  Mr.  C.  J.  Suber,  Mr.  N.  J.  Friedstrom,  Miss 
Clara  Anderson,  Miss  Hilda  Anderson,  and  Miss  Hanna 
Lund.  These  workers  were  most  earnest  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  rough  pioneering  work  they  had 
undertaken.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and 
sometimes  for  the  whole  year,  they  lived  in  tents  in  the 
open  plains  of  Mongolia,  living  on  native  food,  and 
without  a  settled  home.  After  several  years  of  this  life, 
they  had  purchased,  with  funds  specially  contributed  in 
the  United  States,  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Mongolia, 
and  were  founding  a  farm  colony.  It  had  seemed  to 
these  workers  impossible  to  accomplish  anything  except 
by  settled  work.  It  was  hoped  that  some  of  the 
Mongols  would  be  induced  to  settle  at  least  for  a  time, 
and  place  themselves  under  Christian  instruction;  at 
any  rate  the  colony  would  have  furnished  a  base  for 
wider  operations,  and  its  working  provide  an  object 
lesson  of  great  value  in  such  a  country. 

In  May  1900,  Mr.  Stenberg  wrote: — 


Murders  at  Dallat  Hosso  8i 

'  The  ladies  have  just  been  out  on  a  seven  weeks' 
journey;  it  is  hot  now,  and  difficult  to  travel.  They 
were,  although  tired  and  worn  out  by  the  journey,  glad 
to  have  performed  it,  and  felt  confident  of  the  future. 
They  are  living  in  tents,  which  is  not  convenient,  being 
hot  in  summer  and  cold  in  winter,  and  easily  overturned 
by  the  strong  winds.  At  present  we  have  to  bear  with 
very  evil  reports  :  "  Any  one  who  eats  or  drinks  with  us 
will  die."  "  Any  one  who  believes  our  doctrine  will  lose 
his  soul,  and  any  one  who  follows  us  will  be  snatched 
away  to  some  foreign  country."  The  fight  is  severe. 
We  expect  a  breaking  out  .  .  .  but  we  know  God  is  on 
our  side,  and  after  this  hour  of  darkness  shall  dawn  the 
day  of  salvation  for  the  Mongols.' 

The  whole  band,  except  Mr.  Friedstrom,  were 
murdered  by  Boxers,  Mr.  Stenberg  and  the  three  ladies 
on  September  i,  1900,  and  Mr.  Suber  ten  or  twelve 
days  later.  Mr.  Friedstrom  escaped.  He  was  followed 
by  the  Boxers,  but  he  was  able  to  frighten  them  off  by 
firing  a  gun  which  he  carried.  He  fired  into  the  air,  and 
did  not  kill  any  one.  This  party  were  murdered  at 
Dallat  Hosso,  in  the  Ortos  district,  near  the  Yellow 
River. 

Mr.  C.  J.  Suber  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1872.  He 
graduated  from  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary  in 
1896,  and  went  to  Mongolia  as  a  missionary  in  the  same 
year.  Mr.  D.  W.  Stenberg  was  born  in  Jonkoping, 
Sweden,  in  1872.  He  went  to  America  and  studied 
in  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  He  went  to 
Mongolia  with  the  party  in  1896,  and  became  their 
leader.  One  said  of  him,  '  There  is  nothing  bad  about 
him,  he  is  pure  gold.'  He  was  a  favourite  with  all. 
Early  in  1898,  Mr.  Friedstrom,  Miss  Hilda  and  Miss 
Clara  Anderson  and  Miss  Hanna  Lund  arrived  in 
6 


82      ^Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

Mongolia  from  the  United  States.  One  who  knew 
them  says,  *  There  could  not  be  found  any  braver  souls ; 
they  were  fully  consecrated  to  the  Lord's  service.' 


XI.  THE  SWEDISH-MONGOLIAN   MISSION 

was  established  under  the  presidency  of  Prince 
Eernadotte  of  Sweden  in  1899.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helleberg, 
who  formerly  belonged  to  the  Christian  and  Missionary 
Alliance,  having  returned  to  Sweden  because  of 
financial  difficulties,  were  chosen  to  become  the  leaders 
in  this  new  work.  They  came  back  to  China,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Wahlstedt,  in  the  autumn  of  1899,  full 
of  bright  hopes  for  the  future.  They  first  settled  in 
Kalgan,  and  devoted  themselves  to  the  study  of  the 
Mongolian  language.  When  the  Boxer  troubles  began, 
they  were  on  a  visit  to  the  Swedish  missionaries  in 
Kuei-hua-ch'eng,  in  Shan-si.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helleberg 
and  Mr.  Wahlstedt  managed  to  escape  to  Ta-shih-t'ai, 
two  hundred  miles  north-west  of  Kuei-hua-ch'eng,  where, 
however,  they  were  ruthlessly  murdered  by  Manchu 
soldiers. 


XII.   THE  CHRISTIAN   AND   MISSIONARY   ALLIANCE 

This  organisation  has  its  headquarters  in  New  York. 
They  began  work  in  China  in  1893.  In  1900,  they  had 
a  total  force  of  thirty-eight  missionaries  connected  with 
their  China  work,  counting  those  who  were  on  furlough 
in  the  United  States  at  that  time.  Of  this  number, 
twenty-one  fell  during  the  Boxer  troubles,  besides 
fourteen  children.  Two  families  have  already  been 
mentioned  as  having  fallen  with  the  others  at  So-p'ing- 
fu,  namely,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Forsberg  and  one  child,  and 


Hardships  at  Kuei-hua-ch*eng       83 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Blomberg  and  one  child.  The  re- 
mainder were:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emil  Olson  and  three 
children ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Noven  and  two  children ; 
]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  E.  Anderson  and  two  children  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  O.  Bingmark  and  two  children  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
M.  Nystrom  and  one  child;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  L. 
Lundberg  and  two  children ;  Miss  K.  Hall,  Miss  K. 
Orn,  Miss  A.  Gustasson,  Miss  Emelie  Erickson,  and  Mr. 
A.  E.  Palm, — in  all  seventeen  adults  and  twelve  children. 

The  headquarters  of  the  work  in  Mongolia  were  at 
Kuei-hua-ch'eng,  in  Shan-si,  outside  the  Great  Wall. 
Their  work  was  in  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  amongst  the  Chinese  who  had  settled  in  the 
great  plains  of  Mongolia.  They  were  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Emil  Olson,  as  superintendent,  helped  by  his 
faithful  wife,  who  is  described  '  as  a  tower  of  strength  in 
every  time  of  perplexity  or  trial.' 

Mr.  C.  L.  Lundberg,  in  a  letter  dated  August  16, 
1900,  describes  some  of  the  sufferings  which  he  and  his 
companions  passed  through  before  the  final  end,  in 
which  he  himself  suffered  martyrdom  with  the  last 
survivors  of  the  party.     He  writes  as  follows : — 

'  In  Kuei-hua-ch'eng,  where  we  were  stationed,  the 
people  began  to  treat  us  badly,  so  we  left,  intending 
to  reach  Urga  and  Russia ;  but  on  the  second  day  we 
were  at  different  times  and  gradually  robbed  of  all  we 
possessed.  The  robbers  stripped  us  even  of  some  of 
the  clothes  we  were  wearing,  so  that  we  were  both 
hungry  and  cold.  In  our  vicinity  lived  four  Catholic 
priests,  who  invited  us  to  come  to  them ;  and  we  went. 
We  have  now  been  here  eight  days,  but  even  here  it  is 
very  dangerous,  as  Boxers  and  soldiers  intend  coming  to 
destroy  it.  All  stations  we  know  of  belonging  to  our 
Mission    are    destroyed,  but    of   the    missionaries   we 


84     ^Destitute,  Afflicted,  Tormented' 

know  nothing.  Those  of  us  here  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E. 
Olson  and  three  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Anderson 
with  two  children,  one  only  a  few  days  old,  Miss  Emelie 
Erickson,  myself  and  wife  and  two  children.  Our  way 
to  the  coast  is  cut  off.  If  we  are  not  able  to  escape,  tell 
all  our  friends  we  live  and  die  for  the  Lord.  ...  I  do 
not  regret  coming  to  China ;  the  Lord  has  called  me,  and 
His  grace  is  sufficient.  The  way  He  chooses  is  best  for 
me.  May  His  will  be  done.  Excuse  my  wTiting ;  my 
hand  is  shivering.' 

August  22  he  writes  :  '  The  soldiers  have  arrived,  and 
will  to-day  attack  our  place.  The  Catholics  are  prepar- 
ing to  defend  themselves,  but  it  is  vain.  We  do  not  like 
to  die  with  weapons  in  our  hands ;  if  it  be  the  Lord's 
will,  let  them  take  our  lives.' 

The  messenger  who  brought  the  letter  stated  that  the 
same  day  the  whole  place  was  burned,  and  the  mission- 
aries all  perished.  Mr.  Olson  and  Mr.  Lundberg  indeed 
escaped,  but  were  pursued,  caught  and  beheaded. 


CHAPTER    VII 

Flight  Across  the  Desert 

After  reading  the  harrowing  details  of  suffering  con- 
tained in  the  preceding  chapter,  it  is  a  relief  to  read  of 
the  escape  of  a  party  of  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board,  who,  with  ten  Swedish  missionaries,  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  the  Desert  of  Gobi,  and  found  safety 
in  Russia.  The  account  here  given  is  taken  from  the 
London  Daily  News  of  September  25,  1900.  It  runs 
as  follows : — 

'  A  party  of  American  missionaries  who  escaped 
from  the  Boxers  near  the  Great  Wall  in  June  last  have 
just  reached  England,  via  Siberia,  after  a  long  and 
painful  flight  through  the  Gobi  Desert.  The  refugees, 
who  are  now  in  good  health,  belong  to  the  American 
Board  Mission,  and  one  of  the  number,  the  Rev.  Mark 
Williams,  has  worked  in  China  for  thirty-four  years. 
The  remainder  are :  Rev.  W.  P.  and  Mrs.  Sprague,  Rev. 
J.  H.  Roberts,  and  Miss  V.  C.  Murdock,  M.D.  To 
Reuter's  representative  the  Rev.  Mark  Williams  gave 
the  following  account  of  the  experiences  of  the  party  : — 

*"0n  May  25,"  he  said,  "I  went  down  to  Tung- 
chow,  near  Peking,  from  the  Great  Wall  to  attend  a 
Conference  of  the  American  Board,  and  then  heard  of 
the  murder  of  native  Christians.  Following  on  these 
reports  came  news  of  the  Boxer  attacks  on  the  railway, 


86  Flight  Across  the  Desert 

and  of  the  murder  of  two  S.P.G.  missionaries.  On 
June  5,  Rev.  J,  H.  Roberts  and  I  proceeded  to  Peking, 
and  on  our  arrival  in  the  capital  rumours  were  current 
of  a  massacre  at  Pao-ting-fu.  The  following  day, 
accompanied  by  Miss  Murdock,  M.D.,  we  set  out  to 
return  to  our  station  at  Kalgan,  on  the  Great  Wall,  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles  distant  On  nearing  our 
residence,  we  were  astonished  to  see  hundreds  of  people 
collected  round  our  buildings.  Though  shouting  loudly 
and  hissing  vigorously,  they  allowed  us  to  pass  into  our 
compound.  Once  inside  our  house,  we  held  a  hasty 
conference  to  decide  upon  our  future  action,  and  resolved 
to  remain  until  matters  became  more  threatening.  As 
soon  as  darkness  set  in,  we  heard  a  great  din,  and 
crowds  of  people  came  to  the  gate,  shouting  and  yelling, 
and  endeavoured  to  batter  it  down  with  stones.  Mr. 
Sprague,  Mr.  Roberts,  and  myself  hastily  seized  our  guns 
in  readiness  to  fire  if  the  gate  were  broken  open.  We 
discharged  a  few  shots  in  the  air,  and  warned  the  crowd 
that  if  they  did  not  disperse  we  should  fire  upon  them. 

' "  Later  in  the  evening  the  mob  cleared,  but  we  now 
saw  that  it  would  be  useless  to  remain.  At  midnight 
we  sent  the  girls  of  our  boarding  school  off  to  a  Christian 
near  by  for  safety,  and  we  decided  to  put  ourselves  in 
the  hands  of  the  magistrate  of  the  city.  We  hurriedly 
collected  a  few  necessaries,  and  at  three  in  the  morning 
locked  up  the  station  and  started  for  the  Yamen,  two 
miles  distant.  After  some  delay  we  were  admitted. 
The  same  afternoon,  the  magistrate  informed  us  that  we 
must  leave  immediately,  as  he  had  just  received  a  wire 
from  Peking  that  our  premises  at  T'ung-chou  had  been 
destroyed,  that  many  Christians  had  been  murdered, 
and  that  the  missionaries  were  being  escorted  to  the 
capital  by  American  soldiers.     The  magistrate  advised 


Narrow  Escapes  from  Death         Sy 

us  to  go  to  an  inn,  but  we  knew  that  this  would  not  be 
safe,  so,  after  allowing  us  to  draw  our  riches  from  the 
native  bank,  he  sent  fifty  soldiers  to  escort  us  out  of  the 
great  gate  into  Mongolia.  He  feared  not  only  for  us 
but  also  for  his  own  Yamen  if  he  sheltered  us.  At  this 
time  we  had  no  idea  of  the  terrible  journey' that  awaited 
us  —  we  had  no  notion  of  having  to  escape  across 
Siberia ;  our  only  idea  was  to  remain  at  a  place  of  safety 
and  return  after  the  crisis. 

' "  At  Tautai  an  old  friendly  Mongol  chief  lived,  but 
on  his  advice  the  party  continued  the  journey,  and  two 
days  later  reached  Harausa.  Here  the  official  was 
unfriendly,  and  ordered  us  to  leave  at  once,  a  Boxer 
army  being  only  ten  miles  distant. 

'"Fortunately,"  continued  the  narrator,  "there  was 
in  readiness  a  caravan,  ordered  for  Mr.  Campbell,  the 
British  Vice-Consul  at  Shanghai,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Larson,  a  Swedish  missionary,  and  we  availed  ourselves 
of  it,  and  prepared  to  start  for  the  desert  wastes  ahead 
of  us.  On  June  23  we  started.  In  addition  to  our  own 
party,  we  were  joined  by  three  Swedish  missionary 
families,  who  had  barely  escaped  with  their  lives,  and  a 
few  days  later  we  were  joined  by  four  other  Swedes, 
who  had  had  terrible  experiences.  A  lady  member  of 
the  party  had  been  horribly  treated,  and  she  had  been 
almost  clubbed  to  death.  One  of  the  men  missionaries, 
too,  presented  a  frightful  spectacle,  and  was  covered 
with  blood  and  dust.  Our  caravan  now  included  twenty 
camels,  nineteen  horses,  and  six  camel  carts  for  the 
ladies  and  children.  Our  fears  on  entering  the  desert 
were  not  allayed  by  the  threats  that  we  should  not  be 
allowed  to  get  water  from  the  wells,  and  at  some  of  the 
places  we  touched  soldiers  were  sent  to  draw  the  water, 
so  that  we  should  not  poison  the  wells.     For  eight  days 


8>S  Flight  Across  the  Desert 

there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  sand.  We  were 
surrounded  by  it.  The  heat  was  intense,  and  the  air 
was  like  that  of  an  oven.  We  all  suffered  greatly,  and 
our  animals  had  no  grass  or  water.  Day  marching  was 
impossible,  so  we  ineffectually  tried  to  snatch  some 
sleep  in  the  daytime,  first  of  all  drawing  up  our  caravan 
in  horseshoe  formation,  and  keeping  the  necessary  look- 
out. We  were  completely  isolated,  and  the  telegraph 
wire  which  crossed  the  desert  had  been  cut  behind  us 
by  Russian  merchants,  who,  like  ourselves,  were  fugitives, 
with  a  view  to  prevent  orders  being  sent  for  our  pursuit 
by  Boxers. 

'"After  thirty-eight  days  of  terrible  anxiety,  we 
arrived  at  the  Mongol  city  of  Urga,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  desert.  We  presented  a  sorry  spectacle,  the  want 
of  sleep  and  the  mental  strain  having  told  heavily  on  all 
of  us.  Shortly  before  our  arrival  on  July  30,  we  had 
sent  messages  to  the  Russian  Consul-General  at  Urga, 
demanding  protection.  He  was  most  kind  and  friendly, 
and  set  aside  for  our  use  fourteen  rooms  of  the  Consulate. 
Just  before  we  got  into  Urga  we  encountered  a  terrific 
hailstorm  with  vivid  lightning,  and  every  one  of  us  was 
drenched  to  the  skin.  We  badly  needed  the  rest  which 
we  thought  we  should  get  at  Urga,  but,  to  our  dismay, 
the  Consul-General  told  us  that  we  must  leave  at  once, 
as  there  were  two  thousand  Mongol  soldiers  in  the 
neighbourhood,  who  might  be  hostile.  He  added  that 
he  was  himself  expecting  a  reinforcement  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  Cossacks  from  Kiakhta.  He  warned 
us  that  tens  of  thousands  of  Mongols  were  gathering  for 
a  religious  festival,  and  that  if  we  valued  our  safety  we 
had  better  clear  out  without  delay.  So  after  three  days 
we  again  resumed  our  weary  progress,  now  aware  of  the 
fact  that  we  should  not  be  safe  until  we  reached  the 


In  Safety  at  Kiakhta  89 

Russian  frontier  town  of  Kiakhta.  The  second  day  out 
of  Urga  we  passed  the  force  of  Cossacks  the  Consul- 
General  had  spoken  of,  and  cheered  them  heartily.  We 
were  now  crossing  a  forest  and  mountainous  country, 
and  every  day  we  were  becoming  more  weary  and  ill- 
fitted  to  travel. 

'"In  about  a  fortnight,  on  August  13,  we  reached 
Kiakhta.  There  we  remained  until  August  27,  await- 
ing advices  from  home.  Meanwhile,  the  American 
Minister  at  St.  Petersburg  was  arranging  with  the 
authorities  for  us  to  travel  without  hindrance  on  the 
Siberian  railway.  Having  sold  our  caravan,  we 
proceeded  by  tarantass,  our  object  being  to  reach  Lake 
Baikal,  and  strike  the  railway  at  its  terminus  at  Irkutsk. 
We  travelled  all  day  over  a  beautiful  country,  sometimes 
at  an  altitude  of  eight  thousand  feet,  and  stopped  at  the 
Government  posthouses  at  night.  On  September  2 
we  reached  Irkutsk,  where  we  joined  the  train,  and 
reached  St.  Petersburg  sixteen  days  later." '  ^ 

^  For  descriptions  full  of  attraction  and  power  of  the  regions  referred  to 
in  this  chapter,  see  Among  the  Mongols,  by  the  late  James  Gilmour. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Massacre  at  Chu-chou-fu 

When  the  edict  of  the  Empress-Dowager,  ordering 
the  destruction  of  all  foreigners,  was  issued  in  July 
1900,  it  found  its  way — as  it  did  to  others — to  the 
Governor  of  the  province  of  Chekiang,  Liu-shu-T'ang 
by  name.  He  hesitated  at  first  to  issue  it,  and  desired 
to  consult  the  Viceroy  at  Nanking,  Liu-K'un-i,  as  to  his 
proper  course ;  had  he  done  so,  in  all  human  probability 
the  events  now  to  be  related  would  not  have  occurred, 
as  it  is  well  known  that  H.  E.  Liu-K'un-i  had  the 
courage  to  withhold  the  edict  from  circulation.  Un- 
fortunately, the  Governor  of  Chekiang  was  prevailed 
upon  by  the  provincial  judge,  Yung  Chuan,  a  Manchu, 
to  publish  this  most  monstrous  edict ;  and  although  he 
did  not  publish  it  in  the  usual  solemn  manner,  and 
withdrew  it  altogether  a  few  days  later,  the  mischief 
in  Chu-chou  was  irreparably  done. 

Owing  to  the  disturbed  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
north,  armed  bands  of  marauders  were  gathering  on  the 
borders  of  the  province,  and  had  begun  their  depreda- 
tions, and,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the 
city,  the  gentry  and  officials  decided  to  raise  a  local 
band  of  militiamen.  This  force  soon  became  a  source 
of  terror  to  the  peaceably  disposed  citizens,  but  most  of 
all  to  the  defenceless  missionaries  of  the  China  Inland 

90 


Murder  of  a  Magistrate  91 

Mission  who  were  stationed  there.  These  were :  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  D.  B.  Thompson  and  their  two  boys,  Edwin 
and  Sydney,  with  Miss  J.  Desmond,  Miss  Edith  S. 
Sherwood,  and  Miss  M.  Etta  Manchester. 

Notwithstanding  the  disturbed  state  of  the  city  and 
the  surrounding  country,  the  missionaries  decided  to 
remain  where  they  were,  and  they  were  encouraged  to 
do  so  by  the  friendly  assurances  of  the  county 
magistrate,  named  Wu.  These  assurances  were  given 
in  all  sincerity,  and  the  consequences  to  the  magistrate 
himself  were  disastrous,  for,  incited  by  the  gentry  and 
high  officials,  and  by  the  proclamation  made  by  the 
Viceroy  in  the  name  of  the  Emperor,  the  brutal 
soldiery,  on  July  21,  1900,  turned  upon  this  magistrate, 
seized  him  and  all  his  family  and  servants,  dragged 
them  into  the  presence  of  the  prefect  and  other  high 
officials,  and  there  murdered  them  to  the  number  of 
thirty-one  persons ;  the  unfortunate  magistrate's  wife 
and  grandmother  were  the  only  persons  who  managed 
to  escape. 

On  the  morning  of  the  same  day  Mr.  Thompson's 
house  was  attacked  by  a  mob,  who  began  looting  and 
plundering,  and  were  encouraged  to  do  so  by  the 
military  official  who  should  have  protected  them.  Mr. 
Thompson  tried  to  expostulate  with  the  rioters,  but, 
finding  all  his  efforts  useless,  he  and  his  household  made 
their  way  by  desperate  efforts  to  the  Taotai's  Yamen, 
as  being  possibly  the  place  where  protection  might  be 
afforded.  In  this,  however,  they  were  cruelly  deceived, 
for,  having  passed  the  outer  gate  and  getting  to  the 
second  gateway,  they  found  the  door  closed  against 
them,  and,  on  knocking  for  admittance,  were  told  by  an 
attendant,  *We  cannot  be  troubled  about  your  affairs 
now.' 


92        The  Massacre  at  Chu-chou-fu 

Thus,  with  all  their  hopes  blasted  they  turned  away, 
sick  at  heart,  to  face  the  cruel  mob  awaiting  them. 
These,  taking  their  cue  from  the  officials,  at  once 
rushed  upon  Mr.  Thompson,  dragged  him  out  in  the 
street  before  the  Yamen  gate,  and  stabbed  him  to  death 
with  knives  and  tridents,  his  body  being  covered  with 
wounds.  One  of  the  children  was  then  killed  in  the 
same  way,  and  the  mother  pleaded  in  vain  for  the  life  of 
her  second  child.  The  response  of  the  mob  was  to  dash 
the  child  on  the  hard  stones,  and  stab  him  to  death 
before  her  eyes,  and  then  she  herself  and  Miss  Desmond 
were  cruelly  murdered.  The  gentry  of  the  city  and 
officials  who  were  directly  responsible  for  these  dastardly 
outrages  then  sent  public  criers  through  the  city,  who, 
after  beating  a  gong,  gave  warning  that  if  any  one 
harboured  any  of  the  foreigners  or  native  Christians 
they  would  be  killed  as  well  as  those  found  in  their 
houses. 

The  residences  of  Miss  Sherwood  and  Miss  Man- 
chester were  situated  in  the  north  of  the  city,  some 
distance  from  where  the  Thompsons  resided.  It  was  about 
noon  on  July  21  when  the  mob  came  rushing  into  the 
compound  where  these  ladies  were,  and  began  plunder- 
ing and  destroying  all  they  could  lay  hands  on.  The 
ladies,  in  trying  to  escape,  were  discovered,  and  set  upon 
by  some  ruffians  and  severely  wounded,  but  managed  to 
get  off  with  their  lives,  and  found  shelter  for  a  time 
within  the  precincts  of  the  temple  of  the  city  god,  and 
there  they  were  able  to  remain  until  Monday,  July 
23.  On  that  day  they  were  discovered,  and  forced  to  fly 
from  their  refuge,  and  the  cry  immediately  arose,  '  Here 
are  more  foreigners.' 

The  crowd  rushed  upon  them  from  all  quarters,  pushed 
and  dragged  them  till  they  arrived  near  to  the  Roman 


CHU    CHOU    FU    MARTYRS 

MKS.    THOMPSON. 


E.    SHERWOOD. 


1).    H.    THOMPSON. 

J.    DESMOND. 

E.    MANCHESTER. 


[To  face  p.  92. 


Murders  at  Ch'ang-shan  93 

Catholic  chapel,  where  they  were  stabbed  to  death,  and 
their  dead  bodies  dragged  up  and  flung  into  the  chapel 
itself. 

These  crimes,  black  as  they  are,  did  not  finish  the 
ghastly  tale  of  murders  in  this  city  and  neighbourhood. 
Ch'ang-shan,  a  city  about  thirty  miles  from  Chu-chou, 
had  within    it  some   other   missionaries   of  the    China 
Inland  Mission,  these  were :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  F.  Ward 
and  child,  and  Miss  E.  A.  Thirgood.     The  neighbour- 
hood   of    Ch'ang-shan   had    been    very   unsettled     for 
some  time,  and  the  magistrate,  fearing  for  the  safety 
of    the    foreigners,   with    whom    he    was    on    friendly 
terms,   advised    them    to   leave,   promising    an    escort 
for    their    protection.     Mr.   Ward    thought    there   was 
no   necessity  for   him   to   leave,   but   decided   to   send 
away  the  ladies  and  the  child,  and  made  arrangements 
for  them  to  start  on  July  21,  promising,  if  any  serious 
danger  of  an  attack  on  the  city  occurred,  to  follow  them 
on  foot.     The  ladies  and  child  went  by  water,  and  got 
to  within  ten  miles  of  Chu-chou  the  same  evening,  where 
they  anchored.     An  angry  red  glare  in  the  sky  in  the 
direction  of  Ch'ang-shan  led  them  to  suppose  that  the 
rebels  had  arrived  and  were  burning  that  city,  and  they 
therefore  got  the  boatmen  to  proceed,  which  they  did, 
and  arrived  at  Chu-chou  at  daybreak  on  July  22. 

Mrs.  Ward,  finding  that  she  and  her  party  could  not 
enter  the  city  on  account  of  the  confusion  there,  asked 
the  boatmen  to  proceed  down  the  river,  but  they  refused 
unless  they  were  paid  two  hundred  dollars  to  do  so,  an 
amount  utterly  beyond  the  means  of  the  fugitives.  She 
said,  however,  that  the  amount  would  be  paid  in  Hang- 
chou  on  their  arrival  there  ;  the  boatmen  refused,  having 
evidently  no  intention  of  proceeding  further,  and  taking 
their  effects  out  of  the  boat,  threw  them  on  the  bank,  and 


94        The  Massacre  at  Chu-chou-fu 

ordered  the  ladles  and  child  to  land,  which  they  had  no 
choice  but  to  do. 

After  waiting  on  the  banks  some  time,  a  passing 
boatman  offered  to  take  them  to  Hang-chou  for  thirty- 
dollars,  and  to  this  they  gladly  assented,  and  began 
placing  their  goods  on  board  the  boat.  While  this  was 
proceeding,  however,  the  brutal  soldiery  who  had  lately 
murdered  Mr.  Thompson's  party  arrived,  and  behaved 
in  a  violent  and  threatening  manner,  demanding  money. 
Mrs.  Ward  took  off  her  wedding  ring  and  offered  it  to 
her  assailants,  only  to  have  it  snatched  from  her  hand 
and  dashed  in  her  face,  with  the  words,  'We  want 
your  life,  not  your  gold  rings.' 

Then  they  stabbed  her  in  the  arm,  and  with  a  push 
she  fell  on  her  side.  The  crowd  then  seemed  to  fade 
from  her  sight,  and  all  she  saw  was  her  babe  needing  to 
be  fed  from  her  breast,  and  drawing  the  helpless  infant 
to  her  she  pressed  it  to  her  bosom.  The  fiends  then 
stabbed  mother  and  child  together,  and  with  the  next 
blow  severed  the  mother's  head  from  her  shoulders,  and 
so  ended  their  sufferings  together. 

Miss  Thirgood  seeing  all  this,  knew  there  was  no 
escape  for  her,  and,  kneeling  in  prayer,  committed  her 
soul  to  God,  and  while  in  this  attitude  received  her  death 
wounds,  and  thus  obtained  release  from  her  cruel 
tormentors. 

While  all  this  was  proceeding,  six  Chinese  gunboats 
were  lying  in  full  view  of  what  was  going  on,  and  with 
soldiers  and  officers  on  board  whose  duty  it  was  to 
uphold  law  and  order;  but  not  a  hand  or  an  arm 
was  lifted  in  their  defence. 

Mr.  Ward  remained  in  Ch'ang-shan  till  the  marauders 
actually  entered  the  city,  which  they  did  on  July  21,  and 
the  same  night  he  escaped  on  foot,  attended  by  a  native 


Murders  at  San-mo-kia  95 

evangelist  and  a  servant.  They  avoided  the  main  roads, 
fearing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  banditti,  and 
travelled  on  all  night.  Nothing  unusual  happened  until 
the  following  afternoon,  when  they  arrived  at  a  small 
village  named  San-mo-kia,  about  five  miles  out  of  Chu- 
chou.  Here  a  crowd  surrounded  them,  on  the  cry 
being  raised  that  *  a  foreign  devil  was  coming.'  One  of 
the  mob  rushed  up  to  Mr.  Ward,  and  asked  in  insulting 
tones  where  he  was  going.  He  answered,  to  Chu-chou, 
at  which  the  crowd  laughed,  and  shouted  out  that  '  all 
the  foreigners  there  are  killed,'  and  then  surrounded 
them  more  closely,  hemming  them  so  that  escape  was 
almost  impossible.  Mr.  Ward,  however,  pushed  his  way 
to  the  side  of  the  road,  and  ran  along  a  field  path,  but 
found  it  only  led  to  a  pond,  and  so  had  to  return.  The 
crowd  then  set  upon  and  beat  Mr.  Ward  and  his  servant 
to  death  with  sticks  and  clubs,  and  left  the  evangelist 
on  the  ground,  also  supposing  him  to  be  dead.  He  was 
not,  however,  even  insensible,  but  saw  all  that  was  going 
on,  and  in  the  night  crawled  to  a  place  of  safety,  and 
afterwards  recovered  to  tell  the  tale  here  related. 

Mr.  A.  Wright,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  from 
whose  careful  and  accurate  report  the  foregoing  facts 
have  been  for  the  most  part  collected,  visited  Chu-chou- 
fu  some  nine  months  after  these  events.  He  received 
a  special  passport  from  the  Governor  of  the  province, 
through  Consul-General  Warren,  and  left  Hang-chou 
about  the  beginning  of  April  190 1.  As  he  was  under 
official  protection,  each  county  magistrate  through 
whose  jurisdiction  he  passed  provided  an  escort  of 
soldiers,  and  about  sixty  miles  from  Chu-chou  a  native 
gunboat  with  soldiers  on  board  met  and  escorted  the  party 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey.  About  five  miles  from 
Chu-chou,  twenty-two  of  the  principal  gentry  of  the  city 


96        The  Massacre  at  Chu-chou-fu 

met  Mr.  Wright,  and  with  much  knocking  of  heads  on  the 
ground  expressed  their  sorrow  for  what  had  been  done  in 
their  city  during  the  troubles  of  last  year.  A  mile  from 
the  city,  all  the  officials  made  their  appearance  and  joined 
the  procession,  and  brought  Mr.  Wright  with  much 
ceremony  to  a  large  Yamen  especially  prepared  for  his 
reception. 

In  company  with  the  county  magistrate,  the  scenes  of 
the  massacre  were  visited,  and  with  his  assistance  all 
proper  respect  was  shown  to  the  remains  of  the  marytrs. 
It  was  found,  however,  that  the  bodies  of  three  of  those 
who  were  killed  were  missing. 

The  following  terms  were  agreed  upon  with  the  Taotai, 
as  some  reparation  for  the  dastardly  deeds  of  1900: — 

1.  A  public  monument  to  the  martyrs  to  be  erected 
in  a  prominent  position  in  the  city. 

2.  A  piece  of  land  in  the  city  to  be  given  free  of  cost, 
to  be  used  as  a  cemetery  for  the  burial  of  those  who 
were  slain  and  for  others. 

3.  When  all  is  ready,  the  remains  of  the  martyrs  are 
to  be  conveyed  to  their  resting-place  in  a  public  manner, 
all  the  officials  and  gentry  and  prominent  citizens  to 
attend  the  funeral,  and  the  city  to  go  into  mourning 
from  three  to  five  days. 

4.  A  public  reception  to  be  given  to  the  missionary 
who  will  be  sent  to  reside  in  Chu-chou,  the  city  to  be 
draped  on  his  arrival  with  red-coloured  decorations  (the 
sign  of  rejoicing). 

5.  Free  quarters  to  be  granted  to  the  missionary 
in  residence  until  his  own  mission  premises  can  be 
rebuilt. 

These  stipulations,  of  course,  in  no  way  affect  the 
action  of  the  British  Government  with  regard  to  the 
responsibility  resting   upon  it   to   see   to  the  adequate 


Atonement  for  Murders 


97 


punishment  of  those  who  were  responsible  for  the  deeds 
done  by  their  authority ;  nor  is  it  so  regarded.  This  is 
simply  reinstating  the  mission  work  carried  on  in  the 
city  in  a  manner  which  will  adequately  impress  the 
inhabitants  with  a  sense  of  its  importance,  and  the 
sacredness  of  the  lives  of  those  who  were  slain  at  their 
hands,  and  the  necessity  of  adequately  protecting  those 
who  may  go  there  to  carry  on  the  work. 


CHAPTER   IX 

The  Siege  in  Peking 

The  narrative  of  the  siege  of  the  Legations  in  Peking 
is  one  of  the  most  marvellous  which  the  annals  of  war 
have  produced.  If  we  look  at  it  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  soldier,  and  consider  the  overwhelming  force  of 
the  besiegers  and  the  smallness  of  the  numbers  and 
resources  of  the  besieged  ;  the  length  of  time  which 
elapsed  before  the  relieving  column  arrived ;  the 
number  of  non-combatants  who  required  protection, 
and  the  inadequacy  of  the  supplies  of  provisions  by 
means  of  which  all  the  besieged  had  to  be  sustained 
in  life  and  health ;  as  also  the  scarcity  of  the  supplies 
of  ammunition  necessary  for  defence :  the  siege  in 
Peking  must  rank  as  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
on  record. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  diplomat  it  is  equally 
remarkable.  Consider  the  negotiations  carried  on  before 
and  during  the  siege,  and  the  many  times  when  destruction 
was  intended  by  the  Chinese,  and  as  often  averted  as 
if  by  accident.  For  instance,  the  negotiations  which 
resulted  in  the  murder  of  Baron  von  Ketteler  led  to 
a  complete  change  of  attitude  on  the  part  of  the 
Legation  authorities,  which  undoubtedly  saved  the  lives 
of  the  entire  foreign  community,  as  well  as  those  of 
a   large   number    of    natives.     This    change    was    the 


The  Crisis  at  Peking  99 

decision  then  arrived  at  to  remain  within  the  Legation 
walls,  and  to  defend  themselves  there,  rather  than  to 
trust  to  the  promises  of  protection  and  safe  escort  to 
the  coast  made  by  the  Chinese  Government. 

Or  we  may  view  it  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
besieged  non-combatant,  whether  merchant,  missionary, 
or  one  of  the  staff  of  the  Legations  or  Customs,  or  as 
a  Chinese  Christian.  Three  thousand  souls,  including 
the  foreigners  and  natives,  had  to  be  supplied  with  food 
and  shelter.  If  we  consider  how  the  supplies  were 
obtained,  and  the  needed  house  accommodation  pro- 
vided ;  how  the  non-combatants,  foreigners  and  natives 
alike,  were  found  to  be  as  necessary  as  the  soldier  for 
the  adequate  protection,  safety,  and  comfort  of  all, — 
we  have  here  the  material  for  one  of  the  most  stirring 
incidents  in  the  history  of  war. 

It  is  not,  however,  from  any  of  these  standpoints 
exclusively  that  we  here  deal  with  the  narrative  of  the 
siege.  It  is  rather  from  that  of  the  devout  believer  in 
Divine  Providence,  who  loves  to  trace  the  finger  of 
God  in  the  affairs  of  men.  Men,  some  of  whom  possibly 
were  without  thought  of  God  at  all,  were  yet  controlled 
and  guided  by  an  invisible  power  outside  themselves, 
which,  on  the  one  hand,  upheld  and  sustained,  and  on 
the  other,  diverted  and  restrained,  we  may  reverently 
and  truthfully  say, 

'beyond  all  knowledge  and  all  thought.' 

The  intense  anxiety  which  prevailed  throughout 
Christendom  concerning  the  fate  of  the  besieged,  and 
the  earnest  and  prevailing  prayers  of  God's  people 
throughout  the  world  in  their  behalf,  had  a  potency 
and  an  influence  on  the  result  'undreamt  of  in  the 
philosophy'   of  those  who    have   neither   the   spiritual 


lOO 


The  Siege  in  Peking 


eyes  to  see  nor  the  heart  to  understand  the  ways  of 
God  amongst  the  children  of  men. 

The  events  which  led  up  to  the  siege  in  Peking  were 
briefly  these.  The  murder  of  Mr.  Brooks,  which  occurred 
in  the  province  of  Shantung,  on  December  30,  1899, 
though  apparently  without  significance,  was  the  beginning 
of  all  the  disastrous  events  which  followed.  Negotiations 
were  carried  on  which  resulted  in  the  removal  of  Yii 
Hsien  from  the  Governorship  of  Shantung,  only,  alas ! 
to  transfer  him,  with  all  the  signs  of  approval  of  his 
conduct  from  those  in  authority  in  the  capital,  to  the 
province  of  Shan-si. 

The  Boxer  Society,  under  the  guidance  of  Yii  Hsien, 
and  at  the  direct  instigation  of  the  Empress-Dowager 
and  her  advisers,  spread  rapidly  from  the  province  of 
Shantung  into  Chih-li,  and  as  early  as  March  1900  their 
depredations  and  violence  were  causing  serious  concern 
to  the  various  Legations  in  Peking.  Efforts  were  made 
to  obtain  satisfactory  edicts  for  the  suppression  of  these 
anti-foreign  societies,  but  such  efforts  obtained  pnly 
specious  promises.  Owing  to  the  increase  of  disturb- 
ances, and  the  uneasiness  they  caused,  two  British  war 
vessels,  about  the  end  of  March,  were  ordered  to 
proceed  to  Taku.  This  action  produced  the  issue  of 
an  edict,  apparently  satisfactory,  but  intended  only  as  a 
blind,  behind  which  the  schemes  of  the  hostile  section 
of  the  Government  could  be  more  fully  developed.  The 
gunboats  were  withdrawn,  and  for  a  time  there  was  an 
outward  calm,  which,  it  was  hoped,  betokened  better 
things. 

About  the  middle  of  May  a  rude  awakening  took 
place  from  the  attitude  of  false  security  which  had  been  till 
then  indulged  in.  The  destruction  of  three  villages  near 
Pao-ting-fu,   and    the    murder    of    sixty-one    Catholic 


Murders  in  Peking  loi 

Christians,  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  series  of  outrages 
which  terminated  in  the  attempted  destruction  of  all 
the  foreigners  in  Peking. 

On  May  28,  the  news  reached  Peking  of  the  burning 
by  the  Boxers  of  the  station  at  Feng-t'ai,  on  the  Peking 
and  Tien-tsin  railway,  and  the  flight  of  the  Belgian 
engineers  working  on  the  line,  nine  of  whom  were 
killed.  On  May  31,  the  guards  for  the  various  Legations 
arrived  in  Peking.  They  numbered  three  hundred  and 
forty  marines,  drawn  from  the  various  war  vessels  which 
at  that  time  had  arrived  at  Taku,  or  were  anchored  at 
the  bar  outside  that  port.  Later,  these  were  increased  by 
eighty-five  German  and  Austrian  sailors,  making  a  total 
of  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  of  all  nationalities 
sent  for  the  defence  of  their  representatives  in  the  capital. 

On  June  4,  the  day  after  the  last  of  the  troops  had 
arrived,  the  connection  between  Peking  and  Tien-tsin  by 
rail  was  destroyed.  On  June  8,  Chinese  troops,  under 
the  command  of  General  Tung-fu-hsiang,  began  pouring 
into  Peking,  and  Boxers  followed  soon  after,  and  burn- 
ing, looting  of  property,  and  even  murder  became 
common.  On  June  9  the  grand  stand  at  the  race- 
course, six  miles  from  Peking,  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
On  June  11,  Mr.  Sugiyama,  the  Japanese  Secretary  of 
Legation,  was  killed  by  Tartar  cavalry,  near  one  of  the 
gates  of  Peking;  and  on  June  13  many  of  the  Chinese 
Christians  in  Peking,  and  native  servants  in  the  employ 
of  foreigners,  were  murdered. 

On  June  17,  after  six  hours'  engagement,  the  forts  at 
Taku  were  stormed  and  taken  from  the  Chinese  by  the 
allied  fleets.  Seven  days  previously.  Admiral  Seymour's 
force  had  left  Tien-tsin  with  the  intention  of  relieving 
Peking,  but  were  eventually  obliged  to  turn  back  to 
prevent  being  cut  off  from  their  base,  and  only  managed 


I02  The  Siege  in  Peking 

to  make  good  their  escape  after  severe  fighting  and 
much  loss  of  life.  On  June  19  the  news  of  the  taking 
of  the  forts  at  Taku  reached  the  Chinese  authorities  at 
Peking,  and  the  Tsung-li  Yamen  immediately  sent  word 
to  the  Legations  that  all  foreigners  must  leave  the  city 
within  twenty-four  hours.  At  a  meeting  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  Legations,  it  was  decided  by  a  majority  to  leave 
the  city  the  next  day,  and  all  the  foreigners  in  Peking 
got  notice  to  that  effect. 

At  about  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  20, 
Baron  von  Ketteler,  the  head  of  the  German  Legation, 
with  his  secretary,  Mr.  Cordes,  left  his  headquarters  to 
interview  the  Chinese  authorities  at  the  Tsung-li  Yamen. 
They  took  with  them  an  interpreter  and  some  German 
marines.  When  the  party  arrived  at  the  Chinese  out- 
posts placed  opposite  the  Austrian  Legation,  a  number 
of  Chinese  soldiers  came  forward  and  offered  to  escort 
the  German  Minister  wherever  he  might  wish  to  go. 
The  Baron  thereupon  ordered  his  own  escort  to  return, 
and  went  forward,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Cordes,  towards 
the  Tsung-li  Yamen  with  the  Chinese  troops.  They 
were  nearing  the  Yamen,  when  suddenly  Mr.  Cordes, 
who  was  in  the  rear,  saw  a  Chinese  soldier  take  deliberate 
aim  and  fire  at  Baron  von  Ketteler  from  behind.  The 
Baron  fell  forward,  and  was  soon  despatched,  and  Mr. 
Cordes,  who  was  immediately  afterwards  attacked  and 
severely  wounded,  managed  to  crawl  towards  a  mission- 
ary compound  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  was  there 
rescued  and  succoured.  As  soon  as  these  dastardly 
deeds  became  known,  all  the  foreigners  living  in  Peking 
with  one  consent  began  to  pour  into  the  British  Legation 
for  protection,  and  at  four  o'clock  the  same  day  the  siege 
commenced  which  was  to  last  till  August  14,  a  period 
of  nearly  two  months. 


Plot  to  destroy  Foreigners         103 

We  may  here  pause  to  review  the  events,  which  show 
how  marked  was  the  intervention  of  Providence  in 
preserving  the  Hves  of  the  foreigners  living  in  Peking  at 
that  time.  It  is  now  well  known  that  it  was  the  in- 
tention of  the  Empress-Dowager  and  her  advisers  to 
annihilate  the  foreigners  and  to  destroy  all  their  works. 
A  day  had  been  fixed  in  which,  all  over  the  empire, 
there  was  to  be  a  simultaneous  rising  against  and 
massacre  of  all  who  were  not  Chinese,  and  also  of 
all  those  Chinese  who  had  adopted  the  religion  of  the 
hated  foreigner  or  any  of  his  ways.  Risings,  however, 
took  place  before  the  full  arrangements  had  been  made. 
These  forced  the  hands  of  the  authorities,  and  made 
concerted  action  impossible. 

Again,  patriotic  and  far-seeing  statesmen,  like  the  two 
great  Viceroys  on  the  Yang-tze,  Liu-K'un-i  and  Chang 
Chih  Tung,  and  the  Governor  of  Shantung,  Yuan  Shih 
K'ai,  refused  to  execute  the  orders  they  received  for  the 
extermination  of  foreigners  within  their  jurisdiction. 
Owing  to  these  brave  men,  who  thus  risked  their  own 
lives  and  others,  the  lives  of  multitudes  of  helpless  and 
unsuspecting  foreigners  were  saved. 

The  Legations  in  Peking  were  entirely  in  the  dark 
regarding  these  deadly  intentions  of  the  Chinese  Govern- 
ment. No  one  suspected  for  a  moment  that  the 
authorities  could  be  so  utterly  blind  and  foolish  as 
to  think  themselves  capable  of  defying  all  the  Powers 
of  Europe  at  one  time.  Consequently  the  Legation 
authorities  implicitly  believed  the  representations  made 
to  them,  and  trustingly  confided  in  the  promises  of  pro- 
tection which  were  constantly  reiterated.  At  any  time 
in  May,  or  early  in  June,  had  the  Chinese  reactionaries 
so  determined,  the  whole  foreign  community  in  Peking 
might  have  been  easily  and  utterly  destroyed.     What 


I04  The  Siege  in  Peking 

stayed  their  hands?  Apparently  the  indecision  of 
Prince  Ching,  who  all  through  the  siege  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  the  restraining  forces  which  prevented 
matters  being  pushed  to  extremities. 

Again,  had  the  arrival  of  the  marines  who  were  sent 
to  guard  the  various  Legations  been  delayed  by  the 
space  of  forty-eight  hours,  it  seems  impossible  to  suppose 
that  the  foreign  community  could  have  been  saved. 
What  hindered  the  Chinese  soldiery  from  destroying 
the  railway  earlier,  and  by  so  doing  preventing  the 
arrival  of  the  troops  on  whom  so  much  depended  ?  We 
can  only  suppose  that  in  this  case  also,  what  some 
would  call  a  fortunate  accident  occurred  ;  while  others 
more  reasonably  would  say  that  in  the  providence  of 
God  the  hand  of  the  destroyer  was  stayed  till  the  troops 
had  passed. 

Another  striking  circumstance,  on  which  it  afterwards 
became  evident  the  salvation  of  the  foreign  community 
in  Peking  depended,  was  the  death  of  Baron  von 
Ketteler.  The  day  previously  it  had  been  decided  by  a 
majority  of  the  Legation  authorities  in  the  capital  that 
the  offer  of  safe  escort  to  the  coast,  which  had  been 
made  by  the  officials  of  the  Tsung-li  Yamen,  should  be 
accepted.  This  decision  was  communicated  to  all  con- 
cerned, and  although  many  felt  serious  misgivings  about 
entrusting  themselves  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
Chinese  soldiery,  and  some  even  went  so  far  as  to  pro- 
test against  it,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  whole 
community  would  have  gone  out  of  the  city  at  the  ap- 
pointed time,  and  it  seems  equally  certain  that  they  would 
all  have  been  surrounded  and  massacred  before  getting 
very  far  on  their  journey.  The  death  of  the  Baron 
von  Ketteler  effectually  opened  the  eyes  of  all  concerned 
to  the  fact  that  the  Chinese  professions  of  safe  escort  were 


Desire  to  save  Converts  105 

a  delusion,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  or  said  of  the 
decision  so  recently  made  to  retire  from  Peking.  Instead 
of  this,  all  the  foreigners  began  to  make  immediate  pre- 
parations for  seeking  the  shelter  afforded  by  the  stout 
walls  of  the  British  Legation.  The  time  of  the  opening 
fire  of  the  besiegers  (4  p.m.)  seemed  almost  purposely 
delayed  to  allow  all  the  foreigners  to  assemble  within 
the  lines  of  the  allied  forces. 

Another  circumstance  seems  worthy  of  attention. 
Twelve  days  before  the  siege  actually  began,  some 
American  missionaries  took  refuge  in  the  large  premises 
of  the  Methodist  Mission.  These  missionaries,  seventy 
in  number,  elaborated  a  system  of  defence,  and  of 
general  organisation  in  the  shape  of  committees,  for  a 
variety  of  purposes.  Sentries  were  placed,  fortifications 
improvised,  the  Chinese  Christians  who  fled  to  them  for 
protection,  or  were  already  on  the  premises,  were,  in  so  far 
as  they  were  suitable,  drilled  and  armed,  so  that,  when  all 
the  foreigners  were  assembled  within  the  Legation  walls, 
it  only  became  necessary  to  enlarge  the  committees 
already  formed,  and  adjust  them  to  wider  purposes, 
in  order  to  secure  admirable  and  efficient  service  of  a 
most  invaluable  kind.  It  seemed  certain  that  all  these 
things  had  been  working  together  for  the  good  of  those 
who  were  about  to  be  besieged. 

When  the  missionaries  came  to  the  Legations,  they 
naturally  desired  to  bring  their  native  Christian  converts 
with  them ;  but  they  were  met  by  a  non  possumus  from 
the  authorities,  which  might  have  been  expected  when 
the  facts  were  soberly  considered.  When  the  foreigners 
were  all  assembled  they  numbered  nearly  a  thousand 
souls,  and  this  number  might  have  been  deemed  sufficient 
responsibility  for  those  who  had  to  make  provision  for 
their  protection   and    the  food    supplies.     But  when   it 


io6  The  Siege  in  Peking 

was  calmly  proposed  to  bring  in  an  addition  of  over  two 
thousand  Christian  natives,  the  answer  *  Impossible'  was 
returned  without  hesitation. 

Nevertheless  the  impossible  was  attempted,  and 
finally  accomplished.  Mr.  James,  one  of  the  professors 
in  the  Peking  University,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Morrison, 
the  correspondent  of  the  London  Times,  went  to  work 
with  an  energy  and  persistence  that  overcame  all  obstacles, 
and  is  worthy  of  the  highest  praise.  They  interviewed 
the  authorities,  and  finally  secured  the  palace  of  Prince 
Su,  which  was  on  the  other  side  of  a  dry  moat  just 
opposite  one  of  the  gates  of  the  British  Legation,  and 
within  its  ample  walls  and  buildings  the  native  Christians 
were  securely  lodged,  and  carefully  provided  for.  Just 
as  this  task  was  successfully  accomplished,  Mr.  James 
met  his  death,  though  the  work  given  him  to  do  was 
finished  before  he  was  taken  away.  Not  only  in 
particular  details,  but  in  the  circumstances  which  have 
now  to  be  related  regarding  the  siege,  the  hand  of 
Providence  is  to  be  clearly  seen. 

The  native  Christians  had  been  rendered  safe,  and  the 
foreigners,  with  as  many  of  their  belongings  as  they 
could  hurriedly  bring  with  them,  were  all  gathered  within 
the  walls,  when,  punctually  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  June  20,  the  attack  on  the  Legations  commenced, 
and  the  siege  had  begun. 

The  whole  attention  of  the  hostile  Chinese  soldiery  was 
now  concentrated  upon  that  section  of  the  city  which 
was  within  the  lines  of  the  allied  forces.  It  was  evident 
that  the  defence  must  be  entrusted  to  one  who  had 
sufficient  prestige  to  command  the  allied  forces,  and  skill 
enough  to  direct  their  operations.  The  choice  naturally 
fell  on  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  the  British  Minister,  who, 
before  entering   upon  his  diplomatic   career  at  Peking, 


Providential  Food  Supplies        107 

had  distinguished  himself  in  Africa  and  elsewhere  as  a 
military  officer  in  Her  Majesty's  service.  Surely  it  was 
not  accident  that  provided  a  commander  in  every  way 
so  suitable  as  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  proved  himself 
to  be. 

The  first  necessity  for  a  besieged  fortress  is  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  water,  and  it  was  found  that  within 
the  Legation  walls  were  eight  wells  of  good  water, 
capable  of  providing  supply  for  all  the  ordinary 
necessities  of  the  besieged,  and  even  the  extraordinary 
demands  made  upon  them  when  the  fires  kindled  by  the 
enemy  had  to  be  subdued. 

As  regards  food  supplies,  there  had  been  no  time 
or  even  thought  of  making  provision  for  a  siege.  No 
one,  indeed,  imagined  that  a  long  siege  was  beginning, 
nor  that  the  foreign  troops,  whom  they  naturally  pre- 
sumed to  be  already  on  the  way  from  Tien-tsin,  would 
have  any  great  difficulty  in  reaching  them  within  a  few 
days,  or  a  week  or  two  at  most.  In  this  condition  of 
unpreparedness,  and  with  a  community,  including  the 
Chinese  Christians,  of  over  three  thousand  persons,  it 
seemed  that  it  could  only  be  a  question  of  a  comparat- 
ively short  time  before  the  siege  would  be  terminated 
by  starvation,  involving  unconditional  surrender,  and 
then  indiscriminate  massacre. 

But  here  again  all  such  gloomy  prognostications  were 
banished  in  a  most  remarkable  manner.  Within  the 
lines  of  the  allied  forces  were  all  the  shops  in  Peking 
dealing  in  foreign  goods  and  stores,  and  some  large 
Chinese  merchant  stores  were  also  included.  In  one  of 
these  stores  an  enterprising  Chinaman  had  only  a  few 
days  previously  laid  in  a  stock  of  grain  and  food-stuffs, 
which  he  no  doubt  anticipated  would  sell  at  high  prices 
during  these  troublous   times.     As   soon   as   the   siege 


io8  The  Siege  in  Peking 

began,  these  shops  were  left  in  haste  by  the  owners  and 
occupants,  and  their  contents  were  without  hesitation 
appropriated  to  the  necessities  of  the  besieged.  This 
grain  store  contained  seventy  tons  of  wheat  of  that 
year's  crop,  besides  stacks  of  rice,  Indian  corn,  and  other 
food-stuffs.  These  were  afterwards  found,  being  carefully 
handled  and  distributed,  to  be  sufficient  for  the  support 
of  all  the  besieged  during  the  whole  time  the  Legation 
was  invested. 

Further,  a  far  larger  number  of  ponies  were  in 
Peking  at  that  time,  in  the  possession  of  foreigners, 
than  was  usually  the  case.  They  were  there  in  training 
for  the  Peking  horse  races,  which  were  about  to  be  held. 
These  ponies  required  fodder,  and  in  the  grain  shop 
already  referred  to  was  a  large  quantity  of  millet  and 
beans,  and  a  huge  pile  of  straw,  which  was  preserved 
in  the  most  surprising  way,  although  houses  on  each 
side  of  it  were  burned.  This  fodder  proved  to  be 
ample  for  the  animals,  which  were  thus  kept  in  condition, 
and  they  rendered  very  material  help  in  hauling, 
grinding  corn,  and  other  heavy  work,  while  alive,  and 
when  killed  added  their  quota  to  the  food  supplies 
of  the  besieged.  Again,  there  was  within  easy  access 
an  immense  quantity  of  coal,  which  proved  abundant 
for  all  purposes,  and  wrecked  buildings  within  the  lines 
afforded  ample  fuel  for  firing,  and  timber  for  forti- 
fications. 

The  shops  which  held  foreign  goods  proved  to  be 
also  as  essential  to  the  safety  of  the  besieged  as  the 
others.  It  was  soon  found  that  the  enemy's  fire  at 
close  quarters  would  in  a  very  short  time  breach  the 
Legation  walls,  strong  as  they  were,  and  render  the 
position  untenable  unless  backed  by  earthworks.  Mr. 
Gamewell,   one   of  the  missionaries   of  the    Methodist 


F.    H.    JAMES 


IX    THE    BRITISH    LEGATION,    PEKING. 

"  FORT    COCKBURN  "   WITH 
THE    NORDENFELDT    RAPID-FIRE    GUN. 
THE    MISSIONARIES   IN   THE    LEGATION. 


Sand-bag  Fortifications  109 

Mission  in  Peking,  had  shown  considerable  aptitude 
for  planning  and  raising  defensive  works  in  the 
compound  of  the  Mission,  which  they  had  held  for 
twelve  days  before  coming  into  the  Legation.  This 
aptitude  was  immediately  proved  on  a  larger  scale, 
since  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  appointed  Mr.  Gamewell 
chief  of  the  staff  on  fortifications.  With  a  skill  and 
an  enterprise  which  commanded  respect,  and  excited 
surprise  even  amongst  military  men,  Mr.  Gamewell 
set  himself  to  strengthen  the  walls,  on  which  the  safety 
of  the  whole  community  absolutely  depended. 

The  foreign  stores  were  overhauled,  immense 
quantities  of  cloth  of  all  kinds  procured,  and  all  the 
women,  both  foreign  and  Chinese,  who  were  not  otherwise 
engaged,  were  set  to  work  making  sand-bags  of  a  con- 
venient size.  These  were  speedily  filled,  and  by  the  help 
of  the  Chinese  Christians,  who  acted  as  coolies,  soon  began 
to  line  the  walls,  and  to  give  to  them  a  solid  backing  of 
earthworks.  In  all,  some  fifty  thousand  of  these  bags 
were  made,  filled,  and  placed  in  position.  The  work  of 
making  the  bags  provided  an  outlet  for  the  activities  of 
the  women,  and  the  filling  and  placing  gave  work  to 
the  other  non-combatants.  This,  no  doubt,  had  an 
excellent  effect  in  steadying  the  nerves  of  all,  and  so 
rendering  their  position  more  endurable  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  proved  to  human  beings  who  were 
unaccustomed  to  the  shrieking  of  shell,  and  the  sharp 
ping-ping  of  the  bullets  which  fell  in  showers  by  night 
and  day. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  every  hand  and  brain 
would  be  needed  for  defence.  Without  the  abundant 
supply  of  labour  which  the  Chinese  Christians  provided, 
the  heavy  coolie  work  of  raising  fortifications  and 
sinking   mines    and   countermines   could    not   possibly 


no  The  Siege  in  Peking 

have  been  accomplished  by  the  small  force  of  fighting 
men,  who  were  called  upon  continually  to  resist  the 
efforts  of  the  enemy,  and  whose  whole  time  and  strength 
were  needed  to  make  these  efforts  effectual.  Thus  it 
was  again  proved  that  the  good  hand  of  God  was 
guiding  those  who  insisted  on  saving  the  Chinese 
Christians  when  human  wisdom  and  prudence  would 
have  withheld  their  consent. 

Another  evidence  of  the  restraining  and  guiding  hand 
of  God,  in  connection  with  this  siege,  was  in  the  aimless 
and  fruitless  efforts  of  the  besiegers  to  compass  the 
destruction  of  the  besieged.  If  the  Chinese  had  made  a 
determined  attack  while  the  foreigners  were  assembling 
within  the  Legation  walls,  and  when  as  yet  nothing 
had  been  done  towards  organised  resistance,  the  attack 
would  doubtless  have  proved  fatal.  The  attack  com- 
menced almost  at  the  exact  moment  after  all  had 
safely  entered  the  lines  of  the  allied  forces,  and  had  to 
some  extent  settled  down  in  their  quarters.  Thus  their 
resistance  from  the  first  was  effectual. 

The  Chinese  troops  had  for  a  time  the  control  of 
the  city  wall.  This  was  close  to  the  Legation  grounds, 
and  commanded  the  entire  position.  Had  the  enemy 
at  that  time  pressed  the  siege,  and  used  their  opportunity, 
it  seemed  evident  that  no  human  power  could  have 
saved  the  unfortunate  foreigners  on  whose  destruction 
they  seemed  bent.  The  opportunity  was  allowed  to 
slip.  The  walls  were  cleared,  and  held  throughout  the 
siege  by  the  American  marines,  and  the  safety  of  all 
was  again  thus  secured. 

The  counsels  of  the  enemy  were  divided.  During 
the  whole  time  that  fighting  was  going  on,  negotiations 
which  totally  ignored  all  this  passed  between  besiegers 
and  besieged.     To  read  the  despatches,  it  appeared  as 


Bad  Chinese  Tactics  m 

if  nothing  special  had  come  between  them  to  cause  a 
rupture,  or  anything  more  than  strained  relations,  which 
a  little  give  and  take  on  both  sides  might  easily  remove. 
But  it  was  noted  that,  after  the  receipt  of  such  com- 
munications, the  attack  the  following  night  was  fiercer 
than  ever.     At  another   time,  a   present  of  flour   and 
melons  was  sent  to  the  besieged,  as  if  the  two  sides 
were  on    the   most   friendly  terms.     These   facts  show 
that  the   counsels   of  the   enemy  were   divergent,  and 
while  one  party  were  prepared  to  push  matters  to  an 
extremity,  there  were   others  who  wished   to  leave  at 
least   for   themselves   some   way   of    escape   from    the 
inevitable  day  of  retribution  which  they  rightly  believed 
would  certainly  come.     This  was  a  factor  in  the  final 
deliverance  of  the  beleaguered  foreigners. 

Again,  no  heavy  guns  were  brought  to  bear  on  the 
Legation  defences,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  fire 
of  the  Chinese  artillerymen  was  invariably  too  high. 
Thus  the  greater  part  of  the  shot  and  shell  cleared  the 
buildings  at  which  they  were  directed,  and  fell  harmlessly 
on  the  other  side.  This  fact  accounts  for  the  strange 
circumstance  that,  although  a  deadly  fusilade  was  kept 
up  almost  incessantly  for  nearly  two  months,  so  little 
damage  was  done,  and  so  few  lives  were  lost. 

When  the  Chinese  soldiery  found  that  they  could 
make  little  or  no  impression  by  direct  attack,  they  set 
fire  to  buildings  in  the  vicinity  of  the  British  Legation, 
in  the  hope  that  the  flames  would  spread  until  the 
buildings  in  which  the  foreigners  were  living  might  also 
take  fire  and  be  destroyed.  These  fires,  however,  never 
had  the  desired  effect.  It  seemed  as  if  God  had  said, 
'Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther,'  for  when 
the  flames,  fanned  by  a  strong  wind,  were  at  their  height 
and  threatening  inevitable  destruction,  the  direction  of  the 


112  The  Siege  in  Peking 

wind  suddenly  changed,  and  the  fires  burnt  out  harm- 
lessly. In  fact,  these  fires  were  a  distinct  advantage 
to  the  besieged,  as  they  cleared  the  cover  under  which 
the  enemy  had  been  able  to  come  to  close  quarters  and 
pour  in  their  shot  with  more  deadly  effect.  One  of 
these  buildings  thus  destroyed  was  the  famous  Han-Lin 
College,  where  were  stored  treasures  of  literature  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  literati  of  China,  and  all  those 
interested  in  the  history  and  writings  of  the  Chinese. 

Another  most  singular  circumstance  was  the  fact  that 
mining  was  attempted  underneath  the  walls  of  the  Lega- 
tion, at  least  in  two  places.  But  these  mines  were  never 
fired  ;  and  after  the  siege  was  over  it  was  discovered 
that  the  head  of  one  of  these  had  almost  described  a 
circle,  and  if  it  had  been  fired  might  possibly  have  been 
more  dangerous  to  the  Chinese  soldiery  than  it  would 
have  been  to  those  whose  hurt  was  intended. 

Amongst  the  besieged  were  a  large  number  of  women 
and  children.  The  children  were  allowed  to  play  in 
the  more  sheltered  courtyards.  Not  one  of  these  chil- 
dren suffered  any  harm  from  the  shot  and  shell,  and 
only  one  lady  was  hurt,  and  that  just  when  the  siege 
was  raised  by  the  arrival  of  the  British  troops.  Bomb- 
proof shelters  were  laboriously  dug,  but  were  never 
used.  Shot  and  shell  did  penetrate  even  into  the  bed- 
room of  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  but  he  was  not  hurt, 
and  others  remained  uninjured. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  astonished  soldiery  who  first  arrived 
with  the  relieving  force,  all  covered  with  dust,  and 
exhausted  by  hard  marching  and  fighting,  under  a  hot 
sun,  the  tennis  lawn  of  the  British  Legation  appeared 
to  be  occupied  by  those  who  were  engaged  in  holiday- 
making,  rather  than  those  who  had  withstood  a  desperate 
attack  for  nearly  two  months. 


Health  of  the  Besieged  113 

Notwithstanding  the  crowded  and  inconvenient 
manner  in  which  the  besieged  had  to  Uve,  and  the 
insanitary  condition  of  their  surroundings ;  the  almost 
tropical  heat  which  makes  Peking  during  the  months 
of  July  and  August  a  most  undesirable  place  of  residence  ; 
yet  the  sickness  was  comparatively  small  and  the  deaths 

few. 

Amongst  the  refugees  protected  by  the  Legation 
walls  were  a  number  of  skilled  physicians  of  both  sexes, 
some  of  whom,  laying  aside  professional  etiquette, 
served  as  nurses.  These  organised  a  field  hospital, 
second  to  none  in  efficiency,  and  in  the  devotion  with 
which  all  risks  were  cheerfully  taken,  and  all  hardships 
uncomplainingly  borne.  The  result  was  that  any  who 
were  wounded  had  immediate  attention,  and  the  highest 
skill  and  care  bestowed  upon  them,  and  so  the  casualties 
were  attended  with  comparatively  little  loss  of  life,  and 
the  amount  of  suffering  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

No  praise  would  be  too  high  to  bestow  upon  the 
brave  troops  of  so  many  nationalities  on  whom  the 
burden  of  the  defence  mainly  rested.  Although  it  was 
apparently  impossible  to  weld  all  these  different  units  of 
many  nations  into  a  compact  and  harmonious  fighting 
force,  yet  the  feat  was  accomplished,  and  the  coolness  and 
courage  of  civilian  and  soldier  alike,  in  the  face  of  what 
appeared  overwhelming  odds,  was  worthy  to  be  ranked 
amongst  those  deeds  of  heroism  which  make  us  think 
more  worthily  of  humanity. 

As  the  siege  dragged  on  its  course,  and  every  day 
the  besieged  looked  and  longed  in  vain  for  relief  which 
never  seemed  to  come,  they  made  efforts  to  discover 
what  was  going  on  in  the  great  world  outside.  Several 
messengers  were  sent  who  went  out  and  did  not  return. 
One  came  back  with  good  news,  which  afterwards  turned 
8 


114  The  Siege  in  Peking 

out  to  be  false.  Amongst  the  crowd  of  Chinese  who 
had  been  brought  in  for  shelter  was  a  lad  who  was 
found  friendless  and  homeless  in  the  terrible  days 
preceding  the  siege.  He  was  picked  up  and  succoured 
by  some  Good  Samaritan,  and  in  return  for  the  kindness 
shown  him  he  volunteered  to  take  a  message  to  Tien-tsin. 
His  offer  was  accepted ;  he  was  let  down  from  the  wall 
in  the  night,  and  after  many  adventures  safely  reached 
his  destination,  and  the  precious  news  of  the  safety  of 
the  besieged  was  communicated  to  an  anxious  world. 
This  feat  accomplished,  he  also  performed  the  much 
more  wonderful  one  of  a  return  in  safety  to  the  besieged, 
bringing  authentic  tidings  of  the  relief  force  sent  for 
their  rescue. 

What  had  hindered  the  relieving  force  from  making 
the  journey  of  some  eighty  miles  from  Tien-tsin  to 
Peking  in  a  much  shorter  time?  The  bombardment  of 
Tien-tsin  itself  was  one  cause  of  detention,  and  when  the 
allied  forces  cleared  the  country  of  their  enemies  between 
Taku  and  Tien-tsin,  they  had  still  to  address  themselves 
to  the  task  of  reducing  the  native  city  of  Tien-tsin,  whose 
walls  sheltered  a  fighting  force  of  Chinese,  and  from 
whose  ramparts  the  streets  and  houses  of  the  foreign 
quarter  were  continually  raked  with  shot  and  shell. 
This  task  was  found  much  more  formidable  than  any  of 
the  military  anticipated,  and  indeed  it  was  seriously 
debated  whether  it  was  wise  to  attempt  the  taking  of 
the  city  by  assault,  in  view  of  the  probable  great  loss  of 
life  which  might  ensue,  and  thereby  imperilling  the 
forward  movement  of  the  relieving  column  who  were 
preparing  to  go  on  to  Peking. 

The  decision  hung  in  the  balance  for  some  time,  but 
it  w^as  eventually  settled  that  the  assault  should  be 
made.     The  night  before  the  assault  was  delivered,  the 


Arrival  of  Relief  1 1 5 

Chinese  soldiery  evacuated  the  place,  leaving  it  entirely 
at  the  mercy  of  the  attacking  force.  Had  the  decision 
been  made  to  fall  back,  the  Chinese  soldiery,  gainmg 
courage,  would  no  doubt  have  returned  and  reoccupied 
their  defences,  and  the  relief  of  Peking  might  have  been 
indefinitely  delayed. 

The  relieving  column,  after  much  discouragmg  delay, 
began  their  forward  movement,  and  crept  slowly  on  as 
fas't  as  the  enormous  difficulties  which  hampered  every 
step  would  allow  them.  Eventually,  after  desperate 
resistance  from  the  Chinese  force  opposing  them,  they 
got  within  sight  of  Peking.  The  British  column,  from 
private  information,  advanced  towards  a  quarter  of  the 
city  where  their  attack  was  not  expected,  and  entered 
almost  unmolested.  They  made  their  way  by  a  some- 
what circuitous  route  to  the  Legation  gate,  and  were 
the  first  to  enter  the  Legation  grounds.  They  had  thus 
the  honour  of  being  foremost  in  making  the  connection, 
a  distinction  keenly  coveted,  and  it  seemed  certainly 
fitting  that  the  British  Legation  should  be  relieved  by 
British  troops.  The  joy  with  which  the  dusky  Indian 
troops  were  received  was  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  the 
stores  of  ammunition  and  strength  of  the  besieged  were 
perilously  near  exhaustion,  and  it  was  felt  that  the 
relieving  force  had  arrived,  as  they  did  on  August  14, 
not  a  day  too  soon. 

Thus  we  may  trace  the  good  hand  of  God  in  almost 
every  detail  of  this  wonderful  siege,  and  we  can  fully 
sympathise  with  the  besieged  missionaries  who  sent  the 
text  which  was  telegraphed  on  their  release  :— 

'  Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of 
the  fowlers;  the  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  escaped 
(Ps.  cxxiv.  7). 

'To  God  be  the  glory  ;  great  things  He  hath  done.' 


CHAPTER  X 

Marvellous  Escapes 

When  the  troubles  began  in  the  province  of  Shan-si 
consequent  on  the  arrival  of  Yii  Hsien  as  Governor  in 
the  provincial  capital,  the  Rev.  A.  R.  Saunders,  his 
wife  and  four  children,  were  living,  with  others  of  their 
Mission,  at  P'ing-yao,  one  of  the  stations  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  about  sixty  miles  south  of  T'ai-yuen-fu. 
Here  they  had  lived  in  peace  and  quietness  for  thirteen 
years,  without  molestation  from  the  people,  and  on  good 
terms  with  the  officials.  Boxer  placards  had  appeared 
in  June  1900,  and  caused  trouble  in  one  of  the  out-stations 
of  the  P'ing-yao  district,  involving  the  destruction  of 
property,  and  serious  injury  to  the  elder  of  the  native 
Church  in  that  place.  Because  of  this,  the  P'ing-yao 
magistrate,  at  the  instigation  of  Mr.  Saunders,  had 
a  proclamation  issued,  condemning  the  Boxers,  and 
warning  the  people  against  following  them  or  causing 
disturbances. 

This  proclamation  had  the  desired  effect,  until  a  higher 
official,  on  passing  through  the  place  after  a  visit  to 
the  Governor  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  warned  the  P'ing-yao 
magistrate  to  have  it  removed,  as  it  would  certainly 
bring  trouble  on  him  if  Yii  Hsien  heard  of  it.  Accord- 
ingly, on  the  night  of  June  25,  the  proclamation  was 
washed  off  the  walls ;  and  the  next  night  the  premises 

116 


The  Saunders  Party  117 

where  Mr.  Saunders  resided  were  attacked  by  a  mob 
and  looted,  and  the  Mission  chapel,  furniture,  doors  and 
windows,  and  books  on  sale  were  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Saunders  had  barely  time  to  snatch  their 
sleeping  children  from  their  beds  and  make  good  their 
escape  to  the  Yamen,  where  they  believed  they  would 
be  safe  and  receive  protection.  On  arrival,  however, 
they  were  told  that  the  Governor's  orders  were  that,  as 
China  was  at  war  with  foreign  nations,  no  protection  was 
to  be  given  to  foreigners,  and  that,  therefore,  they  must 
immediately  seek  safety  in  flight. 

They  decided  to  go  to  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  applied  for 
and  secured  an  escort  from  the  magistrate  to  take  them 
there  in  safety.     They  got  without  accident  within  seven 
miles  of  the  capital,  on  June  27  ;  but  there  they  met  a 
Christian  native,  who  informed  them  of  the  burning  of 
the  Schofield  Memorial  Hospital  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  on  the 
previous  day,  and   advised  them  to  fly  for  their   lives 
elsewhere.     They  decided,  therefore,  to  go  to  the  city 
of  Lu-ch'eng,  another  station  of  their  Mission,  situated 
one    hundred   and   thirty   miles  from    P'ing-yao,  in   a 
south-easterly  direction.     This  they  reached  after  much 
difficulty,  having  been  attacked  by  the  Boxers  in  one  of 
the  villages  they  passed  through,  and  escaping  only  by 
paying  a  considerable  sum  for  the  privilege.     This  they 
had  also  to  do  in  several  places  on  the  way. 

The  party  arrived  at  Lu-ch'eng  on  Thursday,  July 
5  ;  and  on  Saturday,  July  7,  that  station  was  also  rioted. 
The  previous  night,  after  seeking  in  vain  from  the 
magistrate  the  usual  safe  escort  to  take  them  to  the 
coast,  the  Saunders  party,  with  the  addition  of  the 
missionaries  living  in  Lu-ch'eng,  started  on  a  long  and 
perilous  journey  of  nearly  seven  hundred  miles  to 
Hankow.     This  journey  cannot  be  better  described  than 


Ti8  Marvellous  Escapes 

In  the  account  given  by  Mr.  Saunders,  which  appeared 
in  London  in  the  Times  on  September  29,  1900 : — 

'  Our  party  when  we  started  from  Lu-ch'eng  Hsien 
was  composed  as  under : — Mr.  Alexander  R.  and  Mrs. 
Saunders  and  four  children  from  P'ing-yao;  Miss 
Guthrie  (of  P'ing-yang-fu)  from  P'ing-yao  ;  Mr.  Alfred 
Jennings  from  P'ing-yao  ;  Mr.  E  .J.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  and 
two  children  from  Lu-ch'eng  Hsien  ;  Misses  Huston  and 
Rice  from  Lu-ch'eng  Hsien.  In  all  fourteen  persons ; 
including  six  children.  The  youngest  of  the  children 
was  eighteen  months,  and  the  eldest  seven  and  a  half 
years  old.  We  had  to  leave  secretly  at  midnight,  and 
we  walked  all  night,  carrying  on  our  backs  the  younger 
of  the  children.  Our  baggage  was  carried  on  two 
donkeys,  one  of  which  we  never  saw  again  after  leaving 
Lu-ch'eng. 

'  Soon  after  daylight  on  Sunday  morning  we  reached 
a  village,  where  we  hired  donkeys  on  which  the  ladies 
and  children  were  to  ride  four  miles ;  but  when  we  had 
gone  about  half  that  distance  we  were  met  by  a  band  of 
nearly  two  hundred  men,  who  had  come  out  from  the 
village  just  ahead  of  us,  and  who  robbed  us  of  all  we 
had,  donkey,  silver,  and  goods,  taking  almost  all  the 
clothes  we  were  wearing.  Most  of  us  were  left  with  only 
a  pair  of  Chinese  trousers,  the  upper  part  of  our  bodies 
and  our  heads  being  entirely  unprotected  from  the 
burning  rays  of  a  July  sun. 

'  We  trudged  on  as  best  we  could,  carrying  the  smaller 
children,  the  others  walking,  and  all  of  us  exposed  to 
the  full  blaze  of  a  semi-tropical  sun.  All  that  day  and 
the  two  following  days,  through  village  after  village,  v\^e 
were  subjected  to  the  cruelest  treatment,  till  we  reached 
the  nearest  city,  Chang-tsz,  forty  miles  from  Lu-ch'eng 
Hsien,  where  we  hoped  to  get  official  help  and  protection. 


Beaten  and  Stoned  119 

Although  we  were  now  almost  naked,  without  shoes  or 
stockings,  the  people  would  not  believe  that  we  had  no 
silver  secreted  about  us,  and  we  were  beaten  most 
unmercifully,  in  the  hope  that  such  treatment  would 
bring  confession  as  to  where  the  silver  was  secreted. 
The  people  of  one  village  would  follow  us  to  the 
boundary  of  the  next,  stoning  us  and  throwing  hard 
lumps  of  clay,  beating  us  on  the  back  and  head  with 
sticks  and  bricks,  and  this  was  kept  up  almost  incessantly 
from  village  to  village  for  the  whole  of  those  three  days. 
In  one  village,  Mr.  E.  J.  Cooper  was  dragged  to  the 
outside  of  the  village  by  a  rope,  and  left  by  the  roadside 
as  dead.  If  we  sat  down  anywhere  to  rest  a  little  while, 
we  were  stoned  and  beaten  all  the  more,  and  the  only 
rest  we  got  was  under  cover  of  darkness,  when  we 
retired  to  some  lonely  spot,  and  slept  on  the  hard  ground 
outside.  Even  then  we  were  disturbed  once,  at  midnight, 
by  a  gang  of  men  who  came  out  from  a  village  to  seek 
us,  and,  finding  us  asleep  in  an  open  field,  compelled  us 
to  move  on. 

*  The  first  two  days  we  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  no 
one  would  give  us  even  water  to  drink,  and  we  were 
compelled  to  drink  of  any  water  we  came  to,  and  some- 
times it  was  only  a  dirty  stagnant  pool.  Towards 
evening  of  the  second  day,  we  were  stoned  into  a  large 
market  town,  and,  sitting  down  on  the  side  of  the  main 
street,  we  told  the  people  that  we  could  not  go  farther 
till  we  had  something  to  eat.  They  did  their  best  to  get 
us  out  of  the  town,  but  we  refused  to  go  on.  At  last 
they  gave  us  some  bread  and  water,  and  then  escorted 
us  safely  out  of  the  town.  When  we  had  gone  about  two 
miles,  a  man,  altogether  unknown  to  us,  came  up,  and, 
after  some  conversation,  he  took  about  three  dozen  eggs 
(hard  boiled)  out  of  a  bag  he  carried,  and  gave  them  to 


I20  Marvellous  Escapes 

us ;  so  even  at  this  unfriendly  time  in  China  God  raised 
up  friends  to  succour  us. 

*  At  the  next  city,  Chang-tsz,  the  magistrate  had 
evidently  already  heard  of  us,  for  on  arrival  at  dusk  we 
were  met  outside  the  city  by  some  of  his  underlings, 
who  told  us  that  we  could  not  go  into  the  city,  but  the 
magistrate  would  give  us  carts,  and  have  us  escorted  to 
the  boundary  of  his  district.  We  told  them  that  we 
could  not  go  on  till  we  had  had  a  few  hours'  sleep  and 
a  little  food.  After  a  while,  they  brought  us  some  bread 
and  water,  and  after  partaking  of  this  we  went  to  sleep 
by  the  roadside  near  the  city  wall ;  but  even  there  we 
were  not  free  from  molestation,  stones  being  thrown  at 
us  from  the  city  wall.  About  midnight  the  carts  and 
our  escort  came,  and  we  were  hurried  on  to  the 
boundary  of  that  county,  from  which  place  we  had  to 
walk  to  the  next  city,  Kao-Ping,  fifteen  miles  farther  on. 
A  little  money  was  given  us  by  the  magistrate  at 
Chang-tsz,  with  which  to  buy  food,  but  we  had  not  gone 
more  than  a  mile  when  we  were  robbed  of  it,  and  were 
again  without  either  food  or  money. 

*  Slowly  we  trudged  on  with  sore  and  weary  feet  for  a 
day  and  a  half,  through  unfriendly  villages,  receiving 
the  same  treatment  as  before.  One  night  we  took 
shelter  in  an  unused  house  by  the  roadside,  but  we  had 
just  settled  in  when  some  men  came  with  lanterns,  who 
said  it  was  a  pity  the  children  should  remain  all  night 
without  food,  and  they  had  come  to  take  us  to  a  place 
where  we  could  get  food  and  shelter.  As  we  had  eaten 
nothing  all  day,  we  gladly  followed  them,  but  when  we 
got  to  the  village  we  found  the  streets  lined  with  people 
carrying  lanterns  and  torches,  who  had  come  out,  even 
at  that  late  hour,  to  glare  at  us,  and  we  saw  at  once 
there  was  no  intention  to  give  us  either  food  or  shelter. 


stripped  and  Mobbed  121 

At  first  we  suspected  treachery,  but  they  led  us  right 
on,  out  of  the  other  end  of  the  village,  and  sent  us  on 
the  road  again.  We  afterwards  learned  that  on  the 
next  day  they  were  to  have  a  rain  procession,  and  did 
not  want  us  to  be  passing  through  the  village  the  same 
day,  lest  we  might  bring  ill  luck.  At  this  stage  of  our 
journey  we  were  again  stripped  of  the  few  garments 
we  had,  and  I  was  left  on  the  road  completely  naked, 
but  fortunately  I  was  supplied  with  a  garment  at  once. 
Mrs.  E.  J.  Cooper's  death  at  a  later  date  was  largely 
due  to  the  exposure  caused  by  the  loss  of  her  upper 
garments  at  this  time. 

'  On  Thursday,  July  12,  we  reached  Kao-ping  north 
suburb  about  noon,  and,  being  extremely  hot,  we  could 
walk  no  more  on  our  blistered  bare  feet  on  the  burning 
sand,  so  we  lay  down  under  a  tree  till  it  became  cooler. 
About  4  p.m.  we  went  to  the  Yamen,  followed  by  a 
howling  mob  that  completely  filled  the  large  courtyard. 
After  explaining  the  object  of  our  visit,  a  quantity  of 
bread  was  thrown  down  to  us  as  we  sat  on  the  ground 
in  the  courtyard,  and  a  bucket  of  cold  water  was 
brought  with  which  to  quench  our  thirst.  I  insisted 
that  we  should  be  properly  escorted  to  the  next  city, 
not  to  the  boundary  district  only  ;  and  this  they 
promised  to  do,  but,  like  most  officials'  promises  in 
China,  these  were  made  only  to  be  broken.  We  were 
supplied  with  carts,  and  hurried  on  that  same  night 
without  any  rest,  and  were  as  before  left  by  the  escort 
at  the  boundary.  It  was  then  about  11  p.m.  of 
Thursday,  July  12,  and  we  walked  on  to  find  a  quiet 
spot  to  rest. 

'  Early  next  morning,  Mr.  Cooper  and  I  went  on  to 
a  village  a  mile  distant,  to  hire  a  cart  in  which  Miss 
Rice,  who  could  walk  no  farther,  and  the  children  could 


122  Marvellous  Escapes 

ride.  We  had  in  our  possession  seven  hundred  cash — 
about  two  shillings,  and,  leaving  two  hundred  of  these 
cash  with  Mr.  Jennings,  we  took  the  remaining  five 
hundred  to  pay  for  the  cart.  Passing  through  the 
village  to  the  farther  end,  where  the  inn  was,  we  were 
overtaken  by  some  men,  one  of  whom  gave  me  a  sharp 
blow  with  a  stick  and  snatched  the  money  from  me,  the 
others  drove  us  on  with  sticks  out  of  the  village,  and 
separated  us  quite  from  the  rest  of  the  party.  After  we 
had  left  the  party,  it  began  to  rain,  and  Mr.  Jennings 
with  the  ladies  decided  to  move  on  to  a  little  empty  hut 
by  the  roadside,  fifty  yards  distant,  and  there  await  our 
return  with  the  cart.  Misses  Huston  and  Rice  said 
they  would  go  more  slowly,  and  join  them  as  soon  as 
possible.  Just  as  the  ladies  had  settled  into  this  hut,  a 
number  of  men  came  up,  and,  beating  them  with  sticks 
and  whips,  drove  them  on  through  the  village  in  the 
direction  we  had  gone,  and  they  came  up  with  us  a  few 
miles  farther  on.  Misses  Huston  and  Rice  were  now 
left  behind,  and  it  being  impossible  for  us  to  go  back  to 
their  help,  we  deemed  it  best  to  push  on  to  Tse-chau, 
the  nearest  city,  twenty  miles  ofif,  and  ask  the  official 
there  to  send  a  cart  back  for  them.  We  learned  after- 
wards that  Miss  Rice  was  beaten  to  death  by  the 
roadside  that  day.  Miss  Huston  also  received  very 
serious  injuries,  which  resulted  in  her  death  a  month 
later,  just  two  days  before  we  reached  Hankow.  They 
even  ran  a  horse  and  cart  over  her,  to  break  her  spine. 

*  Twenty  long  miles  on  foot  in  a  pouring  rain  was 
no  easy  day's  work  for  ladies  and  children,  but  we 
pushed  on,  and  reached  Tse-chau,  the  border  city  of 
Shan-si,  about  1 1  p.m.  We  passed  through  many  towns 
and  villages,  and  it  was  here  our  sufferings  reached  their 
climax.     This  is  one  of  the  districts  where  the  Peking 


*Kill  the  Foreign  Devils*  123 

Syndicate  have  been  planning  to  open  mines  and 
railroads,  and  the  people  seemed  infuriated  with  one  of 
the  Syndicate  agents.  They  said  that  taking  these 
observations  had  ruined  the  'feng-shui  (luck),  and  so 
caused  the  drought  this  year.  Unfortunately,  they 
thought  I  was  this  person,  and  I  should  certainly  have 
been  killed,  had  I  not  been  able  to  prove  in  each  village 
we  passed  through  that  I  was  not  the  person  they  took 
me  to  be.  As  we  walked  along,  crowds  followed  us, 
and  sometimes  most  of  us  were  lying  on  the  ground 
with  men  pounding  us  with  sticks  and  bricks.  In  the 
villages  they  howled  at  us,  "  Kill  the  foreign  devils  ! " 

'  I  always  had  to  single  out  a  few  grey-haired  men 
and  address  them  as  follows  : — "  These  men  think  that 
I  am  the  man  who  was  here  last  year  on  mining 
business,  but  I  can  prove  that  I  am  not.  ist.  He  could 
not  speak  Chinese,  and  I  can,  and  you  understand  me. 
2nd.  His  hair  was  cut  short,  and  I  have  a  queue,  and  a 
queue  the  length  of  mine  could  not  grow  in  a  year,  as 
you  all  know."  The  people  were  convinced,  and  a  queue 
saved  my  life.  In  one  village,  they  had  bound  my  hands 
together,  intending  to  tie  me  up  to  a  tree  and  beat  me 
to  death.  Even  the  little  children  were  not  spared,  and 
sore  and  swollen  were  our  bodies  when  we  arrived  that 
night  at  Tse-chau.  They  refused  us  admittance,  so  we 
slept  in  the  gateway.  Next  day,  I  sought  to  see  the 
official,  but  we  were  denied,  and  not  even  allowed  to 
enter  the  city,  so  stayed  in  the  gateway  till  noon.  We 
heard  the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral  there  had  been 
destroyed  two  days  before,  and  the  soldiers  were 
guarding  the  city  gates  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the 
priests.  The  enmity  of  officials  and  people  alike  seemed 
to  be  chiefly  against  the  Roman  Catholics  and  the 
mining  and  railroad    engineers,  and  we  had  all  along 


124  Marvellous  Escapes 

the  road  to  prove  that  wc  were  neither,  but,  being 
Protestant  missionaries,  were  allowed  to  escape  with 
our  lives,  and  advised  to  make  all  haste  to  Hankow. 
Having  our  children  with  us  was  usually  enough  to 
prove  that  we  were  not  Roman  Catholic  priests. 

*  At  Tse-chau  we  got  a  road  pass,  as  we  supposed 
entitling  us  to  an  escort  from  city  to  city  all  the 
way  to  Hankow;  but  we  afterwards  learned  it  was  a 
paper  stating  we  were  to  be  conducted  as  common 
criminals.  At  noon  on  Saturday,  July  14,  we  left  on 
mules  with  common  wooden  pack-saddles,  and  the 
torture  the  ladies  endured  riding  those  animals  for  two 
days  to  Huai-ch'ing  in  Honan,  is  indescribable.  They 
had  to  be  nursed  at  Hankow  for  the  sores  caused  at 
that  time.  We  reached  Huai-ch'ing,  and  were  treated 
tolerably  well  by  the  officials  there,  and  at  our  next 
stopping-place,  Wu-chi.  There  were  many  of  the  better 
classes  who  had  much  sympathy  with  us,  but  dared  not 
show  it  too  much,  fearing  the  anti- foreign  officials. 
We  had  now  suffered  eight  days'  cruel  treatment  in 
Shan-si,  and  the  sole  cause  was — a  vicious  Governor 
setting  the  rabble  on  defenceless  foreigners.  We  had 
now  travelled  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  mostly  on 
foot,  with  very  little  food  and  no  proper  rest,  and 
uncovered  heads ;  but  from  this  point  onward  we 
suffered  no  more  at  the  hands  of  the  people. 

'  From  Huai-ch'ing  on  for  fifty  miles  we  had  good 
treatment,  and  travelled  in  carts  which,  though  very 
uncomfortable  (not  having  bedding  or  straw  to  pad 
them),  protected  us  from  the  sun,  and  the  sores  on  our 
feet  began  to  heal.  Money  was  supplied  us  at  Wu-ch'i 
freely,  and  we  began  to  hope  for  a  rapid  journey  to 
Hankow.  Disappointment  met  us,  for  at  Chen-chih 
the   magistrate  would   not   pass   us   on.     He  said  the 


<I  would  have  had  you  Killed'     125 

official  document  we  had  got  at  Tse-chau  was  not  a 
proper  one.     So  we  had  to  return  to  Wu-ch'i.     There 
we  found  Miss  Huston,  who  had  been  brought  on  by  the 
Tse-chau  magistrate,  and  who  was  very  badly  wounded 
in  the  head,  the  brain   being   exposed.     The  Wu-ch'i 
magistrate  told  us  he  could  do  no  more  than  to  escort 
us  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Yellow  River,  and  leave  us 
there  to  make  our  own  way  to  Chen-chou,  where  we 
could  ask  assistance  at  the  Yamen.     We  went  again  in 
carts  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Yellow  River,  and  there 
our  escort  left  us  and  returned  with  the  carts,  leaving  us 
in  hopeless  condition,  with  the  river  to  cross  and  no 
passport.     We  remained  on  the  bank  of  the  river  two 
days  and  one  night,  with  but  very  little  hope  of  getting 
across  unless  we  got  an  official  pass;  but  at  last,  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  July  22,  the  man  in  charge  of  the 
ferry  told  us  to  get  into  a  courier  boat,  and  we  crossed, 
being  put  on  shore  about  one  hundred  yards  below  the 
proper  landing-stage. 

'  We  walked  thirteen  miles  to  Chen-chou,  and  went 

direct  to  the  Yamen  to  plead  our  cause.     The  magistrate 

himself  came  out  to  meet  us,  and  he  proved  to  be  very 

anti-foreign.     He  stamped  his  feet  as  he  spoke  to  me, 

and  said,  "  Fortunately  for  you,  an  edict  has  come  to-day, 

ordering  that   all    foreigners   be   sent   under   escort  to 

Hankow,  and  I  can  send  you  on.     Had  you  come  here 

yesterday,  I  would  have  had  you  all  killed."     He  had  the 

necessary  document  written,  and  we  were  sent  on  by 

cart,  but  as  common  criminals,  lodged  every  night  in 

the  common  jails,  with  only  a  division  of  wooden  bars 

between  us  and  the  chained  criminals  of  China.     This 

treatment    continued    for    six    days,   till    we    reached 

Chioh-shan,  where  we  were  taken  to  a  temple,  and  the 

mandarin's  wife  sent  sweetmeats  for  the  children. 


126  Marvellous  Escapes 

'  At  Sin-yang  Chao,  the  border  city  of  Honan,  which 
we  reached  on  Monday,  July  30,  we  were  treated  well, 
and  clothes  were  given  us.  There  we  stopped  three 
days,  because  soldiers  were  passing  through  en  route  for 
Peking,  and  it  was  feared  that  if  we  met  them  on  the 
road  trouble  might  arise.  It  was  here,  too,  that  we 
overtook  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glover,  their  two  children,  and 
Miss  Gates,  who  had  fled  from  Lu-an  Fu  the  day  before 
we  left  Lu-ch'eng,  and  we  learned  from  them  that  they 
had  met  similar  treatment  to  ourselves.  Now  we  had 
come  to  the  Hupeh  province,  ruled  over  by  Chang 
Chih-tung,  and  we  were  treated  well  by  all  the  officials, 
and  instead  of  travelling,  as  before,  in  carts,  we  had 
sedan  chairs.  We  found,  too,  that  the  native  Christians 
were  in  favour  with  the  officials,  and  the  rest  of  our 
journey  to  Hankow  was  done  in  comparative  comfort, 
arriving  at  our  Mission  House  on  Tuesday  morning, 
August  14,  in  all  forty-nine  days  since  we  left  P'ing-yao. 

'  In  addition  to  Miss  Rice,  whose  death  I  have 
already  referred  to,  four  others  of  our  party  died  on  the 
way.  Two  of  our  own  children  died  from  fatigue  and 
want,  and  were  buried  in  Honan.  Mrs.  Cooper  and 
Miss  Huston  died  in  Hupeh,  after  terrible  sufferings, 
and  their  bodies  were  sent  on  to  Hankow  by  the  officials. 
Mr.  Cooper's  baby  died  soon  after  arrival  in  Hankow, 
from  the  effects  of  the  journey.  It  is  a  wonder  to  all 
that  any  of  us  reached  this  place,  but  we  know  our 
escape  was  due  to  the  marvellous  power  of  God  on  our 
behalf,  in  protecting  us  these  many  days  when  we  were 
exposed  to  the  sun  without  covering,  so  that  there  was  not 
one  case  of  sunstroke  among  us,  proving  the  promise, 
"  The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day."  Our  way,  too, 
was  opened  up  sometimes  in  an  almost  miraculous 
manner,  and  for  all  these  mercies  we  give  God  the  praise. 


The  Glover  Party  127 

We  feel,  also,  that  great  credit  is  due  to  the  Viceroy- 
Chang  Chih-tung,  who  persistently  telegraphed  to  the 
Governor  of  Honan  that  safe  conduct  should  be  given 
to  foreigners  passing  through  that  province.' 

The  foregoing  account  of  the  escape  of  the  Saunders 
party  would  not  be  complete  without  some  description 
of  the  adventures  and  trials  of  the  Glover  party,  which 
left  Lu-an,  in  Shan-si,  six  days  before  the  party  from 
Lu-ch'eng,  but  which  eventually  was  overtaken  by  them 
in  Sin-yang,  on  the  borders  of  Honan,  and  both  parties 
travelled  in  company  the  remainder  of  the  way  to 
Hankow. 

On  June  6,  1900,  the  Mission  compound  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission  at  Lu-an  was  attacked  at  mid- 
night by  an  idolatrous  procession,  which  had  been  to 
the  temple  to  pray  for  rain.  The  attack  did  not  result 
in  serious  damage,  but  was  sufficient  to  show  the  temper 
of  the  people,  and  the  necessity  there  was  for  immediate 
flight.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glover  left  Lu-an  on  June  9, 
intending  to  go  to  the  coast  viH  Tien-tsin,  and  they 
reached  another  station  of  the  Mission  at  Shun-teh, 
in  the  province  of  Chih-li.  Here  they  stopped  eleven 
days ;  but  as  the  Boxers  were  getting  more  openly 
violent,  they  dared  not  show  themselves,  and  could  not 
proceed,  so  eventually  they  decided  to  return  to  Lu-an, 
and  if  necessary  make  their  way  through  Honan  to 
Hankow.  Ten  miles  from  Shun-teh,  at  a  place  called 
I-ch'eng,  they  'were  stoned,  captured,  and  given  over 
to  death,'  but  they  were  delivered,  like  Paul  of  old,  in 
a  most  miraculous  way,  and  in  a  manner  for  which 
they  could  not  account  except  by  attributing  it  to 
God's  restraining  hand  on  mob  violence.  After  a  series 
of  dangers  and  trials,  they  succeeded  in  reaching  Lu-an, 


128  Marvellous  Escapes 

where  they  found  Miss  Gates,  who  had  decided  to 
remain  in  the  station  when  the  Glovers  left,  just  on 
the  point  of  making  her  escape  to  the  mountains. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glover  got  back  to  Lu-an  on  July  3 
and  on  the  next  day  word  came  from  Lu-ch'eng  of  the 
arrival  there  of  the  Saunders  party  in  full  flight  from 
P'ing-yao.  Mr.  Glover  immediately  called  on  the 
magistrate  of  the  city,  and  he  was  refused  an  audience. 
But  the  same  night  word  came  privately  that  the 
magistrate  had  a  message  for  him,  if  he  would  send 
some  trustworthy  person  to  receive  it.  This  was  done ; 
and  he  was  told  of  the  Empress -Dowager's  secret 
instructions  to  withdraw  all  protection  from  foreigners, 
and  so  flight  was  decided  on. 

On  July  6,  the  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Glover  and  two  children,  and  Miss  Gates,  started  for 
the  journey  to  Hankow.  They  hired  mule  litters,  in 
which  they  were  to  be  conveyed  to  Chau-kia-keo, 
where  they  expected  to  secure  boats  to  take  them  on 
the  remainder  of  their  journey.  This  design  was 
frustrated  in  the  good  providence  of  God,  for  had  they 
gone  to  Chau-kia-keo  it  seems  they  would  certainly 
have  all  been  killed. 

On  leaving  Lu-an  city,  which  they  managed  to  do 
with  some  difficulty,  they  travelled  thirteen  miles  to  a 
place  called  Han-tien,  where  a  halt  was  made  for  the 
noon  meal.  They  were  not,  however,  allowed  to  leave 
until  they  had  paid  200  taels  (i^30,  or  Si 50,  gold).  As 
this  was  not  forthcoming,  a  mock  trial  was  held  in  the 
night,  and  they  were  found  guilty  and  condemned  to 
death.  In  the  morning,  they  were  taken  in  their  litters 
in  a  kind  of  sacrificial  procession  to  a  place  outside  the 
village.  The  road  was  lined  with  spearmen,  and  all 
the  men  and  boys  carried  some  sort  of  weapon.     At  a 


Robbed  and  Maltreated  129 

given  signal  the  whole  mass  fell  upon  the  litters,  and 
struggled  and  fought  like  wild  beasts  over  the  baggage. 
Mr.  Glover  with  one  of  the  children  had  cleared  out 
of  his  mule-litter  in  time,  but  Mrs.  Glover  and  the  other 
child  seemed  almost  buried  under  a  frantic  mass  of 
struggling  humanity,  from  which  it  seemed  impossible 
that  they  should  come  out  alive.  However,  in  a  short 
time  they  emerged,  apparently  calm  and  uninjured, 
and  Miss  Gates,  too,  seemed  miraculously  preserved. 

After  the  mob  had  seized  and  carried  off  all  the 
t>aggage,  the  party  found  themselves  alone  and  un- 
touched, so  they  wandered  back  to  the  village  to  wait 
for  the  faithful  Chinese  helpers  who  stood  by  them  in 
this  perilous  journey.  To  go  back  seemed  impossible, 
so  they  determined  to  continue  the  journey  on  foot. 
They  had  not  gone  far  when  a  crowd  of  evil  men  from 
the  villages  round  began  to  follow  them.  At  the  next 
village  they  sat  down  on  the  doorstep  of  a  little  food 
shop,  while  the  mob  hemmed  them  in  and  refused  to 
let  them  pass.  Suddenly  the  suspense  was  ended  by 
the  crowd  seizing  them  and  tearing  the  clothes  off 
their  bodies.  Mrs.  Glover  and  Miss  Gates  had  their 
upper  garments  stripped  off,  the  children  had  only  their 
combinations  left,  and  Mr.  Glover  was  stripped  almost 
naked,  but  again  no  further  harm  was  done  to  them. 
Mr.  Glover  had  a  pair  of  pants  given  him  and  a  tattered 
beggar's  coat,  and  in  this  plight  they  travelled  on  to 
the  next  village. 

The  villagers  surrounded  them  and  seemed  ready  to 
attack  them.  They  were  told  to  go  a  certain  road, 
where  it  was  evidently  intended  to  fall  upon  them ;  but 
instead  of  going  on  this  road  they  took  a  side  path, 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  crowd  suddenly  came 
to  a  dead  halt,  and  they  presently  found  themselves 
9 


130  Marvellous  Escapes 

in  a  dry  torrent  bed  alone,  and  night  came  on  and 
the  moon  shone  brightly.  They  walked  on  for  some 
distance,  and  saw  four  men  with  mattocks  waiting  for 
them.  These  men  told  them  to  come  to  a  temple  near 
by,  where  they  would  find  shelter  for  the  night.  On 
their  refusing  they  became  abusive,  and  snatched  the 
upper  garments  from  Mrs.  Glover  and  Miss  Gates, 
leaving  them  stripped  to  the  waist.  Mr.  Glover, 
however,  they  did  not  touch,  evidently  considering  his 
garments  not  worth  taking.  As  they  were  making  off 
with  the  women's  garments,  Mr.  Glover  remonstrated 
with  them,  and  they  suddenly  threw  down  the  garments 
they  had  taken,  and  made  off.  As  soon  as  they  had 
gone,  the  wanderers  fled,  and  got  to  a  hollow  in  the 
hills,  where  they  lay  down,  and,  despite  the  cold,  fell 
fast  asleep,  as  they  were  utterly  exhausted. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  got  hot,  they  began  to  move  again, 
as  their  thirst  was  unbearable  and  the  heat  intolerable. 
They  came  down  from  the  hillside,  and  found  a  muddy 
stream,  which  tasted  as  sweet  as  the  purest  water,  and 
they  then  lay  down  under  the  shade  of  some  trees 
growing  over  some  grave  mounds.  In  a  small  temple 
not  far  off  heathen  worship  was  going  on.  Soon  a  pro- 
cession came  out  from  the  village  and  passed  near  them, 
and  some  of  the  people  turned  aside  to  see  who  they 
were,  and  immediately  ran  back  to  the  village  to  report. 
Soon  a  cart  came  out  with  an  official  and  the  Yamen 
runners,  and  stopped  near  by,  and  to  their  amazement 
they  found  that  the  magistrate  at  Lu-an  had  sent  the 
cart  to  take  them  to  Hankow. 

At  first  they  thought  it  was  a  ruse  to  secure  them, 
as  it  afterwards  seemed  as  if  it  was  ;  but  they  finally 
decided  to  use  the  cart,  as  the  papers  brought  with  the 
official  seemed  genuine,  and  they  really  had  no  other 


Plots  for  their  Murder  131 

method  of  procedure,  as  they  were  almost  certain  to 
perish  of  hunger  if  they  went  on  by  themselves,  and  the 
cart  was  shelter  from  the  heat,  and  progress  in  the 
desired  direction.  They  got  in  the  cart,  and  proceeded 
to  a  place  called  Wang-fang,  where  formerly  Mr.  Glover 
had  often  preached.  Here  the  people  became  very  excited, 
and  swarmed  into  the  inn  yard  where  they  were,  and  it  was 
soon  evident  that  they  were  again  in  the  hands  of  the 
Boxers.  From  their  talk,  it  seemed  evident  they  meant 
to  kill  them,  but  the  official  and  Yamen  runners  who 
had  brought  them  to  the  place,  though  in  sympathy 
with  the  people,  yet  did  not  wish  to  be  compromised, 
so  they  in  whispers  decided  to  drive  off  before  the 
refugees  could  get  into  the  cart ;  but  Miss  Gates  over- 
hearing the  plot,  the  whole  party  got  on  to  the  cart  and 
refused  to  move.  The  people  and  official  people  were 
furious  at  this  frustration  of  their  plan,  but  were  obliged 
to  take  them  on.  The  crowd  ran  along,  hooting  and 
bellowing,  and  followed  them  a  considerable  distance. 

Arrived  at  Tui-ch'eng,  they  were  taken  to  the  inn, 
which  had  a  large  courtyard,  and  put  into  a  room, 
where  their  escort  wished  to  lock  them  in.  Soon  a 
heathen  procession  filled  the  inn  yard,  and,  getting 
restless,  finally  broke  into  the  room  which  the  party 
were  occupying.  The  landlord,  fearing  a  riot  and 
destruction  of  his  property,  told  them  to  leave ;  but  on 
Mr.  Glover  refusing,  he  was  seized  and  dragged  out 
amongst  the  crowd.  Mrs.  Glover,  Miss  Gates,  and 
the  children  followed,  determined,  if  they  were  to  die, 
to  die  together.  They  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
several  thousands,  and  Mrs.  Glover  seeing  that  their 
only  hope  seemed  to  be  in  the  official  who  was  escorting 
them,  seized  his  hand ;  Miss  Gates  then  seized  the 
other,  and  the  others  joined  on.     In  this  way  they  moved 


132  Marvellous  Escapes 

out  of  the  town,  and  by  and  by,  to  their  intense  relief, 
the  cart  came,  and  they  proceeded  on  their  journey. 

At  a  village  four  miles  off,  the  official  again  tried  to 
give  them  the  slip,  but  Mr.  Glover  seized  the  animal's 
bit  and  stopped  the  cart  till  they  all  got  in  again  ;  but 
instead  of  going  on,  they  were  driven  back  to  Tui- 
ch'eng,  and  left  all  night  in  the  street  near  the  gate,  in 
company  with  a  number  of  beggars.  They  had  nothing 
to  lie  on  or  cover  them,  had  no  food  and  no  sleep. 
When  morning  broke  on  Monday,  July  9,  they  found 
themselves  for  hours  without  food  or  water,  till  a  kindly 
man  near  by  gave  them  some  water  to  drink,  and,  as 
Mrs.  Glover  pathetically  says — 'The  Lord  remember 
those  cups  of  water.'  After  a  long  time,  the  official 
appeared  with  some  bread,  and  two  small  trolley  carts, 
used  for  coal  hauling  in  these  mountainous  regions. 
Into  these  they  got,  and  were  bumped  about  on  them 
for  twenty  miles — a  journey  of  seven  or  eight  hours 
under  a  burning  sun. 

Arrived  at  Kao-p'ing,  they  were  more  kindly  treated 
by  the  officials.  Mr.  Glover  exchanged  his  beggar's 
rags  for  some  more  decent  clothing,  and  money  was 
given  them  to  buy  food.  Next  day  they  proceeded  on 
their  way,  and  at  one  village  the  poor  people  crowded 
round  them  and  expressed  sympathy  with  them,  which, 
being  so  unusual,  impressed  them  all  the  more  in  their 
forlorn  condition. 

After  a  seventeen  miles'  ride,  they  arrived  at  the  pre- 
fectural  city  of  Tse-chau,  where  Mr.  Glover  endeavoured 
to  see  the  prefect,  but  was  told  that  anything  he  had  to 
say  should  be  expressed  in  writing.  All  night  long  the 
mob  kept  howling,  '  Kill  the  foreigners ! '  but  no  harm 
befell  them ;  and  next  day  a  party  of  soldiers  came  to 
escort  them,  and  they  got  on  their  carts  and  proceeded 


'Lodged  in  a  Filthy  JaiP  133 

on  their  weary  way.  Some  money  was  given  the  soldiers 
to  buy  some  straw  hats  such  as  coolies  wear,  but  the 
soldiers  kept  the  money  and  did  not  buy  the  hats,  so  they 
had  to  proceed  bareheaded  under  a  fierce,  blazing  sun. 

At  Lan-chen,  on  the  Shan-si  border,  they  were  set 
down  outside  a  small  official's  place,  and  were  told  they 
could  be  escorted  no  farther.  However,  they  were 
taken  to  an  inn,  where  the  night  was  spent  in  great 
discomfort,  and  plottings  were  heard  to  kill  them,  and 
an  attempt  made  to  poison  them  with  sulphur  fumes. 
After  two  days'  waiting,  they  got  an  escort  and  cart 
sent,  and  proceeded  without  serious  mishap  till  they 
reached  Huai-king,  another  large  prefectural  city. 

Here  the  magistrate  treated  them  kindly,  and 
provided  good  food,  and  heard  sympathetically  their 
piteous  tale.  They  had  some  clothing  and  money  given 
them,  and  next  day  he  sent  them  on  in  covered  carts  to 
Wu-ch'i.  From  Wu-ch'i,  for  three  days  they  had  to 
travel  on  barrows,  without  head  covering;  in  some 
places  treated  well,  in  others  lodged  as  common 
prisoners  in  the  filthy  jail.  After  arrival  at  Sin-yang, 
the  official  treated  them  with  the  utmost  kindness,  and 
here  they  remained  eight  days  resting,  as  the  official 
did  not  think  the  roads  safe  for  travel,  as  so  many 
soldiers  were  passing  on  the  roads.  Here  new  clothing 
was  provided,  and  everything  was  done  for  their  comfort 
as  far  as  possible.  Five  days  after  they  arrived  there, 
the  Saunders  party  joined  them,  and  together  they  made 
their  way  to  Hankow  ;  but  on  the  way  the  cup  of  bitter 
sorrow  was  made  more  full  by  the  death  of  Mr. 
Saunders's  little  boy,  and  then  Mrs.  Cooper  died,  and 
Miss  Huston  followed,  and  finally, Mrs. Glover, after  giving 
birth  to  a  daughter  in  Hankow,  was  some  time  after,  with 
her  baby,  taken  to  rest  in  the  eternal  home  above. 


CHAPTER    XI 

A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

Early  in  December  of  1900  messengers  arrived  at  the 
coast,  bringing  tidings  that  at  Ping-yang-fu  in  Shan-si, 
some  missionaries  still  survived  the  terrible  massacres 
which  had  been  perpetrated  in  that  province.  These  sur- 
vivors were :  Mrs.  P.  A.  Ogren,  Miss  M.  E.  Way,  Miss 
M.  E.  Chapman,  and  Mr.  Graham  M'Kie,  all  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission.  They  had,  it  appears,  been  for  months 
wandering  among  the  mountains,  and  had  escaped 
the  fate  which  had  befallen  so  many  of  their  fellow- 
missionaries.  The  M'Kie  party  finally  returned  to  their 
station,  and,  owing  to  the  instructions  received  from 
Peking,  they  had  been  forwarded  to  the  prefectural  city  of 
P'ing-yang,  where  they  occupied  the  mission  premises, 
and  were  there  guarded  by  soldiers  sent  by  the  prefect 
till  arrangements  could  be  made  for  their  safe  escort  to 
Hankow.  These  arrangements  had  to  be  postponed 
owing  to  the  expected  confinement  of  Mrs.  Ogren ;  but 
after  this  event  took  place  the  party  finally  arrived 
safely  in  Hankow  on  February  13,  1901. 

An  eye-witness  of  their  arrival  at  Hankow  thus 
describes  the  scene : — 

'  Yesterday  at  dark  there  came  into  this  city  one 
of  the  strangest  processions  that  ever  visited  the  place. 
It  consisted  of  about  a  score  of  the  Governor  of  Shan-si, 

134 


Miss  Way's  Narrative  135 

Hsillang's  cavalry,  direct  from  T'ai-yuen-fu,  with  twice 
as  many  foot-soldiers.  These  were  escorting  three  mule 
litters  containing  the  last  of  the  poor  salvage  saved 
from  the  deplorable  wreck  of  foreign  life  in  Shan-si.  It 
is  not  often  that  these  northern  conveyances  are  seen  so 
far  south,  and  they  created  as  much  interest  amongst 
the  natives  as  amongst  the  foreigners.  As  they  stood 
on  the  road  after  the  animals  had  been  taken  out,  a 
wondering  group  of  coolies  surrounded  them.  "  Ah  ya  ! 
what  a  chair,  it  could  seat  six ;  I  would  like  to  see  the 
men  who  carry  it."  "  That  is  a  horse  chair ;  you  know 
nothing;  men  don't  carry  it."  "Are  horses  permitted 
to  carry  chairs  now  ?  "  When  they  awoke  to  this  new 
fact,  the  party  gave  a  general  sigh,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  Whatever  now,  in  these  days  of  multiplying  carriages 
and  rickshaws,  will  become  of  the  poor  chair  coolies, 
since  horses  have  taken  to  carrying  chairs  ?  " 

'  Our  interest,  however,  was  in  the  occupants  of  these 
curious  conveyances.  There  was  Mrs.  Ogren  with  her 
two  babies.  Miss  Way,  Miss  Chapman,  and  Mr.  Graham 
M'Kie.  They  had  at  last  been  forwarded  to  the  British 
Consul  by  the  Shan-si  authorities.' 

The  following  account,  written  by  Miss  Way,  will  put 
the  reader  in  possession  of  the  facts  regarding  the 
wanderings  and  adventures  of  Mr.  M'Kie's  party,  and  the 
subsequent  account  by  Mrs.  Ogren  will  detail  what 
happened  to  her  and  her  husband  before  the  party 
finally  came  together. 

Miss  M.  E.  Way  writes  as  follows  : — 

'  Wednesday,  July  4,  1900. — We  were  compelled  to 
leave.  Miss  Chapman  and  I  escaped  out  of  the  city 
dressed  in  men's  clothing.  A  few  native  Christians  met 
us  just  outside  the  city  gate  ;  Mr.  M'Kie  followed  behind, 
and  somehow  missed  us.     After  some  considerable  time 


136  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

he  succeeded  in  finding  us.  We  walked  thirty  li  (ten 
EngHsh  miles)  to  Niu-tsuen,  and  about  two  in  the 
morning  Miss  Chapman  and  I  were  shown  into  a  mud 
hut,  and  Mr.  M'Kie  into  an  old  loft  belonging  to  one  of 
the  Kuh-wu  Christians.  We  laid  our  weary  heads  down, 
placing  our  straw  hats  under  our  heads  for  pillows, 
and  slept  until  10  a.m.,  when  an  old  woman  brought  us 
some  bread  and  water.  She  was  very  excited,  and  said 
that  the  Boxers  had  just  called  and  enquired  about 
the  Christians,  and  wanting  to  know  if  they  were 
Christians.  They  said  "  No,"  but  the  Boxers  did  not 
believe  them,  and  took  the  old  father  to  a  temple  almost 
adjoining.  He  worshipped  idols,  and  they  let  him  off 
by  paying  a  fine  of  16,000  cash  (about  £1  or  $5,  gold). 
We  were  sorry  he  should  deny  Christ,  but  he  came 
back  rejoicing,  saying  that  he  only  denied  Christ  out- 
wardly, but  that  down  in  his  heart  he  loved  Christ,  and 
if  he  had  not  worshipped  the  idols  the  Boxers  would 
have  gone  to  his  home  and  found  us. 

'  We  were  forced  to  leave  that  night  at  dusk ;  we 
walked  sixty  li  (twenty  English  miles)  up  into  the 
Kiang-hsien  Mountains.  We  got  there  at  break  of 
day,  passed  by  an  old  man  who  was  mending  a  temple  ; 
he  spoke  to  us ;  we  dared  not  answer,  but  our  faithful 
boy  (Yuen-ur)  spoke.  We  passed  by  quickly.  Next 
morning  the  man  at  the  temple  reported  that  twenty 
Boxers  had  passed  during  the  night ;  we  and  our 
Christians  were  the  Boxers,  at  least  we  were  so 
disguised  that  we  passed  for  them. 

'  We  were  shown  into  an  old  loft  belonging  to  a  noted 
thief.  Here  we  remained  for  six  weeks.  We  could  only 
speak  in  whispers,  and  go  out  for  a  few  minutes  when 
dark,  the  old  thief  keeping  watch  all  the  time.  Our 
beds  consisted  of  coffin  boards,  and  the  place  was  overrun 


Flight  at  Midnight  137 

with  rats  and  vermin.  Our  faithful  boy  handed  food  to 
us  three  times  a  day ;  he  stayed  in  an  old  cave  at  the 
side.  We  promised  this  thief  thirty  taels  to  keep  us 
secretly  for  three  months.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks  we 
had  twenty-five  taels  sent  to  us  by  one  of  the  Christians, 
also  a  letter  telling  us  of  a  good  way  to  get  to  Hankow. 
The  village  people  seemed  to  have  suspicions  that  we 
were  hiding  in  this  loft,  so  we  thought  it  best  to  start 
for  Hankow.  We  intended  walking  all  night  and 
hiding  during  the  day.  We  succeeded  in  getting  an 
escort  of  six — three  Christians  and  three  outsiders,  two 
of  them  being  thieves;  one  of  them  showed  us  a  knife 
that  had  killed  eight  people. 

*  On  August  18  we  started  off  at  midnight,  and 
seemed  to  be  full  of  joy  thinking  that  we  would  reach 
Hankow  safely.  My  message  from  the  Word  when  we 
started  out  was,  "  The  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you." 
We  tramped  up  one  very  steep  mountain,  up  to  our 
necks  in  wet  scrub,  there  having  been  a  terrible 
thunderstorm  the  night  before,  so  the  walking  was 
very  difficult.  We  had  a  donkey  with  us  belonging  to 
our  boy;  while  climbing  up  the  mountain  he  caught 
hold  of  the  donkey's  tail,  I  caught  hold  of  his  hand,  Mr. 
M'Kie  of  mine,  and  Miss  Chapman  of  Mr.  M'Kie's. 

*  In  this  way  we  got  to  the  top  of  the  mountain 
about  break  of  day,  when  we  came  to  two  caves — a 
lower  and  an  upper  one.  We  had  a  rug  each  and  a 
change  of  clothing,  so  we  took  off  our  wet  clothing  and 
laid  ourselves  to  rest.  At  the  bottom  of  this  cave  was 
a  human  skeleton.  The  old  thief  came  up  to  look,  and 
said,  *'  This  is  a  fine  place,  I'll  know  where  to  come  to 
again."  About  half  an  hour  after,  we  heard  a  tremendous 
noise,  as  if  the  men  were  killing  one  another.  Then 
there  was  profound  silence  for  about  half  an  hour.     Mr. 


138  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

M'Kie  then  said  he  would  go  to  the  lower  cave  and  see 
why  they  did  not  bring  us  food.  I  said,  "  Don't  go ;  it 
means  death  to  show  yourself  in  open  daylight."  He 
went,  and  found  the  men  had  gone ;  we  knew  not  what 
to  think  or  do,  as  we  were  simply  lost  on  the  mountains. 
We  thought  that  the  thieves  had  killed  or  bound 
the  three  Christians.  We  then  left  our  few  things  in  the 
cave  and  scrambled  up  to  the  top  of  another  high 
mountain,  taking  off  our  outer  garments  to  drag  one 
another  up.  We  then  went  down  the  other  side  on  our 
hands  and  feet,  and  were  very  much  bruised  when  we 
got  to  the  bottom.  Some  natives  were  watching  us, 
and  said  they  had  never  seen  any  one  attempt  to  get 
down  such  a  place. 

'These  natives  gave  us  a  drink  and  a  cucumber. 
They  seemed  a  little  friendly.  We  offered  them  100 
taels  (about  ;^I5  or,S75,  gold)  if  they  would  escort  us  to 
Hankow ;  but  they  laughed,  and  said  we  would  not  get 
any  one  to  undertake  that.  They  told  us  that  the  next 
village  was  seven  miles  away,  so  we  walked  on.  The  sun 
was  intensely  hot ;  we  had  large  straw  hats,  but  we  could 
see  daylight  through  them.  We  got  to  the  village 
about  4  p.m.,  and  passed  through.  Then  we  heard  a 
great  shouting,  and,  looking  behind  us,  saw  about  fifty  or 
sixty  people  running  after  us  with  knives  and  staves ; 
every  one  had  a  weapon  of  some  kind.  We  looked  at 
one  another,  and  said, "  God  wants  us  in  heaven."  I  said, 
*'  Yes,  we  are  going  to-night."  We  stood  still,  waiting  for 
them  to  come,  but  looking  unto  Jesus. 

'  They  were  very  angry,  and  stamped  their  feet  and 
made  us  march  back  through  the  village,  intending  to  go 
to  a  temple  at  some  considerable  distance.  They  said 
they  had  caught  six  men,  and  bound  them  in  the  temple. 
These  six  men  were  our  six ;  this  would  have  been  the 


'1  had  no  Fear*  139 

last  in  our  thought  that  all  six  could  be  bound.  We 
went  on  a  little  way,  and  I  was  so  tired  that  I  dropped 
down.  Mr.  M'Kie  pleaded  with  them  to  let  us  rest,  and 
then  we  would  go  on  to  where  they  wanted  us  to  go  ;  but 
they  would  not  hear  of  this,  and  hurried  us  off.  But  one 
man  brought  us  a  drink ;  how  we  enjoyed  it !  ^  We 
never  seemed  to  feel  hungry,  but  we  felt  the  pain  of 
thirst  very  much.  We  walked  on  a  little  farther,  when 
I  dropped  down  again  and  almost  fainted.  They  then 
saw  that  we  could  not  go  on,  and  so  they  all  sat  round 
us  with  their  large  knives  and  weapons.  I  had  no  fear. 
I  realised  that  Jesus  "  went  all  the  way  to  Calvary— all 
the  way  to  Calvary,  He  went  for  me;  all  the  way  to 
Calvary,  He  went  for  me."  I  just  leaned  my  head  over 
and  commended  my  dear  ones  to  God ;  so  sure  was  I 
that  the  next  few  minutes  I  should  enter  the  presence  of 

the  King. 

'  One  man  whispered  in  Mr.  M'Kie's  ear,  "  Brother, 
you  have  a  few  friends  here,  but  they  dare  not  help 
you."  The  people  then  calmed  down,  and  Mr.  M'Kie 
asked  the  headman  if  he  could  read ;  he  said  "  Yes." 
Then  he  took  out  an  old  passport  and  showed  it. 
After  a  little  while,  the  man  handed  it  back  and 
released  us,  and  told  us  that  we  could  sleep  in  an  old 
temple.  This  was  indeed  a  wonderful  deliverance! 
We  then  went  to  the  temple,  and  the  people  brought  us 
some  black  bread  and  water.  We  did  not  get  any  rest, 
as  the  people  crowded  round  us  till  midnight,  then  left 
us  with  two  wicked  men. 

'  With  great  difficulty  we  got  away  from  these  men 
about  three  in  the  morning,  and  then  scrambled  up  some 
hills  and  one  high  mountain.  It  was  then  daylight ;  we 
could  find  no  place  of  shelter,  so  we  were  in  the  broiling 
sun  the  whole  day,  lying  flat  the  whole  time,  in  case  we 


I40  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

should  be  seen.  When  night  came  we  were  very  thirsty  ; 
we  did  not  have  a  headache  from  the  sun,  although  our 
faces  were  blistered.  We  walked  and  walked  till  we 
were  tired,  and  at  last  found  a  little  creek  by  a  bed  of 
maize.  Here  we  quenched  our  thirst  and  lay  down  in 
the  bed  of  maize  to  sleep.  We  had  nothing  but  what 
we  stood  up  in.  We  started  out  on  July  4  with  thin 
cotton  clothing,  and  had  the  same  on  in  October.  We 
slept  fairly  well  in  this  bed  of  maize ;  the  ground  was 
very  wet,  as  the  maize  had  been  watered.  The  weather 
had  taken  a  change,  and  we  shivered  very  much. 

'  About  five  the  next  morning  a  man  passed  by  with 
two  cows  and  a  dog ;  we  lay  flat  down,  so  that  he  should 
not  see  us.  We  then  had  a  little  prayer  together.  I 
prayed  that  the  Lord  would  take  us  to  heaven  soon. 
We  decided  then  to  go  to  the  nearest  house  and  beg  for 
food.  This  we  did,  but  they  refused  to  give  us  anything  ; 
finally  an  old  woman  gave  us  a  bit  of  bread  about  four 
inches  long;  this  we  received  gratefully,  then  had  a 
drink  from  the  little  creek,  and  went  on  to  a  small  village. 
Though  we  drank  all  sorts  of  water  and  ate  anything  we 
could  get,  still  our  God  kept  us  in  health.  "  And  the 
Lord  thy  God  shall  take  from  thee  all  sickness."  We 
got  to  this  village  and  begged  for  food.  After  a  long 
discussion,  the  people  finally  told  us  that  if  we  would 
wait  till  they  had  cooked  their  food  each  family  would 
give  us  a  little,  and  none  of  them  would  feel  it.  We 
were  thankful  for  this  promise,  as  we  had  been  long 
without  food,  and  the  women  went  to  prepare  it.  Just 
as  it  was  about  ready,  a  man  came  up  on  horseback 
and  told  them  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  us,  as  we  were 
condemned  to  death  by  the  Empress. 

*  We  had  to  leave  soon  ;  we  got  a  short  distance  away, 
and  were  looking  for  a  place  to  hide  for  the  day,  when 


'No  hope  for  us'  141 

a  man  came  running  after  us.     He  seemed  to  be  in  a  great 
rage;  we  thought  he  was  a  Boxer;  we  waited  calmly 
for  him  to  come  up.     I  looked  to  Jesus  and  said    _  Lord 
Tesus  Thou  dost  keep  Thy  child  through  sunshine  or 
through  tempest  wild."    He  soon  came  up  to  us,  and  then 
calmed  down  and  began  talking  about  the  six  men  who 
were  still  bound  in  the  temple.     We  asked  to  be  taken 
to  them,  as  we  thought  it  would  be  best  if  we  all  died 
to-ether;  we   heard   that  probably  they  would  be  be- 
headed    This  man  showed  us  the  way ;  we  got  there 
about  noon.     This  time  the  people  did  not  greet  us  with 
knives  •  they  gave  us  some  drink  and  some  bread.     We 
sat  down  amongst  the  scrub;  the  people  talked  to  us 
and  gathered  around  us,  then  left  us,  telling  us  to  leave 
the   place,  as  it   meant  danger   for   them.     They   said 
they  had  been  offered  one  hundred  taels  to  deliver  us 
up  to  the  Boxers.     Mr.  M'Kie  said,  "  There  is  no  hope 
for  us."    I  said,  "Yes,  a  glorious  hope-a  glorious  hope, 
if  we  go  to  heaven,  and  also  if  we  are  spared    ;  but  we 
never  thought  we  would  be  spared. 

'  During  this  time  we  heard  terrible  rumours  about 
the  native  Christians  and  missionaries,  which  afterwards 
turned  out  to  be  true.     As  the  sun  was  setting  a  man 
came  up  to  us ;  he  thought  we  had  silver  and  was  just 
about  to  search  Miss  Chapman,  when  we  looked  up  and 
saw  our  faithful  boy.     We  almost  cried  with  joy.     We 
had  previously  arranged  to  try  and  walk  back  to  Kuh-wu, 
which  was  impossible  without  some  one  to  lead  us.     Our 
boy  said  they  were  released  from  the  temple  and  the 
others  had  gone  home  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  begged 
him  not  to  come  and  look  for  us,  as  they  were  sure  we 
should  get  into  the  Boxers'  hands.     He  did  not  listen 
to  them,   but   decided  to    look  for  us;  so   one  of  the 
thieves  said,  "  I  won't  let  you  go  alone," 


142  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

'  The  two  of  them  led  us  over  the  mountains.  We 
walked  all  night,  and  hid  during  the  day  behind  some 
rocks  on  the  top  of  a  very  steep  mountain ;  we  had  a 
little  bread  with  us.  About  4  p.m.  a  terrible  thunder- 
storm came,  and  we  were  drenched.  We  wandered  over 
the  mountains  looking  for  a  place  of  shelter,  but  did  not 
find  one.  The  boy  suggested  that  we  should  go  to  a 
cave  at  the  back  of  his  house  about  twenty  miles  distant ; 
this  we  consented  to  do,  so  on  we  went  through  the 
dense  scrub;  it  thundering,  lightning,  and  raining  the 
whole  time.  All  that  was  left  of  my  shoes  was  a  piece 
of  the  heel  tied  at  the  back  of  my  ankle ;  my  clothes 
were  hanging  in  rags,  through  being  caught  in  the  scrub, 
having  just  to  pull  them  away  in  haste.  About  9  p.m. 
we  came  to  a  clump  of  trees ;  the  men  told  us  that 
we  must  stay  there  for  the  night  We  refused  to  do  so, 
as  there  was  no  place  to  sit  down,  it  was  all  pools  of 
water ;  and  if  we  could  keep  walking  it  would  keep  us 
warm,  as  we  had  no  clothing  to  change. 

'  The  boy  then  said  he  would  try  and  find  the  way ; 
we  went  a  little  farther,  and  we  heard  a  big  stone  fall. 
We  called  out  to  our  boy ;  the  reply  was  a  deep  groan  ; 
with  great  difficulty  we  got  to  him,  and  thought  he  was 
dead.  We  sat  there  the  whole  night,  our  feet  resting  in 
a  creek  of  water.  It  was  so  dark  and  the  scrub  so  dense 
that  we  were  simply  helpless.  After  about  an  hour 
we  found  that  his  foot  was  seriously  injured,  but  none 
of  his  limbs  broken ;  he  seemed  in  great  pain.  At 
break  of  day  he  said  he  would  try  and  walk  to  the  cave 
and  tell  some  one  to  come  to  us  with  food  before  it  was 
dark.  We  had  big  sticks  to  help  us  in  walking ;  he 
took  one  of  these  sticks,  and  the  thief  went  with 
him.  We  prayed  that  God  would  give  us  a  fine 
day,  and  the  sun  came  out  bright   and   beautiful,  and 


^Kill!  Kill!  Kill!'  i43 

dried  our   clothes   on    us.     It    was   so  nice  to  feel  dry 

and  warm. 

'We  were  all  day  without  food,  and  about  4  p.m. 
two  thieves  brought  us  bread,  and  then  led  us  to  the 
cave.  On  arrival  they  gave  us  a  drink  of  boiling  water 
and  some  hot  bread  ;  then  showed  us  into  the  cave.  It 
was  such  a  terrible-looking  place  that  we  said  we  would 
not  go  in;  we  would  rather  sleep  on  the  mountains. 
But  our  boy  was  in  the  cave,  and  told  us  to  come  in. 
We  went  in,  and  after  a  while  lay  down  to  sleep.  We 
were  so  wet  and  dirty  1  During  all  these  wanderings  we 
had  not  washed  our  faces  or  combed  our  hair.  About 
midnight  we  were  aroused  by  three  men  at  the  top  of 
the  cave  crying,  "Sah!  sah !  sah!"  (Kill!  kill!  kill!); 
we  thought  our  last  moment  had  come. 

'  Our  boy  rushed  to  the  top  of  the  cave,  and  kept  them 
talking  till  daylight.     They  were  about  to  kill  the  thief 
who  had  led   us    over   the   mountains;    we   afterwards 
found  they  were  discussing  who   should  take   us  over 
the  mountains  and  kill  us.     The  next  night  our  boy 
told  us  we  must  leave,  as  it  was  too  dangerous  to  be 
there,  and  said,  "  There  is  nothing  to  do  now  but  to  go 
on  to  my  home ;  you  are  welcome  to  share  the  bit  of 
food  we  have  ;  my  relations  have  gone  away  to  hide, 
but   I    will   get   my    wife    to   come    back.''     We   were 
delighted   with  this  thought,  and    started  off  with  our 
boy  at  dusk.     We  got  to  Niu-tsuen,  the  place  where  we 
started  from  when  we  left  Kuh-wu.     There  was  a  very 
deep  gully  a  mile  or  two  away  from  the  village,  and 
several  caves.     Our   boy's  foot  was  so  painful  that  he 
could  not  walk  on  to  his  home,  and  so  we  were  com- 
pelled to  go  to  the  caves,  as  we  thought  just  to  await 
death.     We  felt  sorry  that  this   faithful  boy  was  now 
kept   from   leading   us;  but    it    was   God's   wonderful 


144  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

leading.  A  few  days  afterwards  we  heard  that  the 
Boxers  had  gone  to  his  home  and  destroyed  it  ;  his 
relatives  had  gone  away  to  hide,  and  thus  escaped  the 
Boxers ;  and  if  his  foot  had  not  been  injured,  we  would 
have  been  killed  there. 

*  We  remained  in  these  caves  six  weeks.  We  were 
discovered  three  times,  but  the  Lord  turned  the  people 
to  be  friendly.  An  inquirer  came  at  midnight  and 
brought  us  bread  and  water.  Sometimes  the  bread  was 
mouldy  and  hard.  We  used  to  take  it  in  turns  to  sit 
up  at  night  and  watch  for  the  wolves ;  during  these 
lonely  hours  I  felt  the  presence  of  the  Lord  preciously 
real.  I  used  to  sing  inwardly  all  the  hymns  I  could  think 
of;  my  favourite  ones  I  sang  in  a  whisper  every  day : 
"  I  shall  see  Him  face  to  face,"  "  Loved  with  an  ever- 
lasting love,"  and  "  Lord  Jesus,  Thou  dost  keep  Thy 
child."  We  had  no  Bible ;  how  we  missed  the  precious 
Word  of  God !  I  prayed  day  by  day  that  God  would 
send  me  a  Bible,  and  when  I  got  to  P'ing-yang-fu  I  had 
three  of  my  own  returned.  We  have  proved  our  God 
answers  prayer.     Hallelujah ! 

'  One  night  an  inquirer  came  to  us,  and  told  us  there 
was  no  hope  now.  The  Boxers  had  come  to  the  village ; 
two  in  the  morning,  and  two  at  night.  He  and  his 
family  went  to  hide  in  the  cave  just  below  us,  and  every 
one  knew  that  we  were  in  these  caves.  These  four 
Boxers  were  waiting  for  others  to  join  them,  and  waited 
for  two  days,  but  they  did  not  come.  We  spent  the 
whole  day  in  prayer,  and  poured  out  our  hearts  before 
God  that  at  this  last  hour  He  would  scatter  the 
Boxers  and  spare  our  lives.  These  four  Boxers  went  to 
see  why  the  others  did  not  join  them,  and  found  they 
had  made  a  mistake  in  the  name  of  the  place,  and  gone 
to  U-tsuen  instead  of  Niu-tsuen,  and  before  they  could 


MR.    MCKIE   AND    PARTY    IX    PIXG   YAXG    FU,  MRS.    GLOVER. 

MR.    AXD    MRS.    D.    KAY   AXD    DAUGHTER. 
MRS.    COOPER.  M.    E.    HUSTOX.  P.    A.    OGREN. 


Native  Help  145 

get  back  a  strong  proclamation  was  out  for  our  protection 
and  the  scattering  of  the  Boxers.  They  then  had  to 
escape  for  their  own  lives  ! 

*  How  we  praised  God  for  this  wonderful  answer  to 
prayer  !  "  Hereby  ye  shall  know  that  the  living  God  is 
among  you."  We  then  prayed  that  God  would  send  us 
clothes,  as  we  were  so  cold,  it  now  being  October.  At 
midnight  four  Christians  came  to  see  us  ;  two  from 
Hong-tong,  and  two  from  P'ing-yang-fu.  They  brought 
us  some  silver,  and  one  of  them  took  off  his  thick  coat 
and  gave  it  to  Mr.  M'Kie.  They  told  us  all  about  the 
death  of  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kay,  and  told  us  that  we  were 
the  only  foreigners  in  the  whole  of  the  province.  After 
prayer  they  went  away  (just  before  daylight),  and  our 
boy  walked  to  Kuh-wu  and  brought  us  some  wadded 
clothes.  God  answered  our  prayers  concerning  our 
boy ;  his  foot  was  almost  healed.  Next  night  he 
brought  us  these  clothes.  How  glad  we  were  to  cast  off 
our  rags  !  The  inquirer  brought  us  a  Chinese  comb,  and 
we  succeeded  in  getting  all  the  knots  out  of  our  hair. 
Several  times  we  thought  of  asking  this  inquirer  if  he 
would  shave  our  heads. 

'  Our  boy  was  very  much  upset,  as  he  found  that 
nearly  every  one  knew  where  we  were ;  he  said  it  was 
very  dangerous,  and  asked  one  of  our  friends  to  take  us 
into  his  loft.  After  a  great  deal  of  persuasion  he  con- 
sented, and  we  went  about  2  a.m.  In  the  room  below 
the  loft  were  two  little  girls  with  smallpox,  and  one  died. 
How  marvellously  God  kept  us  in  health !  We  slept  on 
wet  ground  time  after  time,  and  in  the  pouring  rain,  yet 
we  did  not  have  a  cold  nor  even  a  headache,  or  dysentery 
from  impure  water. 

'  While  in  this  loft  we  thought  of  a  plan  to  get  to 
Hankow  secretly,   by   dressing   up   as   soldiers ;  others 

10 


146  A  Wonderful  Deliverance 

suggested   that  we  should  go  in   coffins;   but   still  we 
waited,  and  Christians  came  to  us  and  told  us  that  the 
mandarin  was  sending  soldiers  to  look  for  us,  as  they 
wanted  to  protect  us.     Meanv/hile  we  heard  that  wicked 
men  with  knives  and  weapons  had  been  looking  every- 
where in  these  caves  for  us,  so  we  were  just  delivered  in 
time.     We  then  agreed  that  we  would  give  ourselves  up 
— come  what  might.     We  were  so  worn  out  that  we  just 
longed  to  go  to  our  heavenly  home.     I  felt  the  influence 
of  the  prayers  of  God's  children  very  much.     I  often  felt 
quite  lifted  up,  and  the  thought  would  come,  some  one 
is  praying  for  us,  and  I  looked  for  wonderful  answers. 
I  kept  the  day  and  date  all  along ;  they  called  me  the 
almanac.     Sometimes  I  would  think,  What  day  is  to- 
day? "  Why,  Saturday."     The  Melbourne  C.I.M.  meets 
at   4   p.m.,    Adelaide   7   p.m.,    Shanghai    7.30    p.m.     I 
reckoned  up  to  the  time  and  in  spirit  met  with  them, 
and  often  pleaded  with  God  that  He  would  pour  out 
upon   His  children  the  spirit  of  prayer.     God  gave  us 
wonderful  peace ;  our  rest  of  soul  never  seemed  to  be 
disturbed ;  though  we  heard  of  the  terrible  tortures  and 
sufferings  of  our  brothers  and  sisters,  still  we  never  felt 
nervous.     My  nerves  to-day  are  stronger  than  ever,  and 
I  would  not  wish  to  feel  better  in  health.     I  am  hoping 
not  to  go  home,  but  to  have  a  rest,  and  then  return  to 
Shan-si. 

^Sunday,  October  31. —  At  midday  the  Kuh-wu 
mandarin  sent  carts  and  soldiers  to  take  us  to  Kuh-wu. 
How  rejoiced  we  were  that  we  could  be  out  in  the  open 
daylight !  We  did  enjoy  that  ride,  and  arrived  just  as  it 
was  getting  dark.  The  mandarin  had  hired  a  house,  as 
the  chapel  and  mission-house  were  destroyed.  They  were 
very  kind  to  us,  and  brought  us  nice  food,  and  offered  to 
do  anything  for  us  if  we  would  stay ;  but  we  heard  that 


Arrival  at  Hankow  147 

Mrs.  Ogren  was  alone  in  Ping-yang-fu,  and  we  felt  that 
we  must  join  her.  The  city  people  were  very  friendly, 
and  begged  us  to  stay  ;  the  next  day  we  had  a  skirt  each 
presented  to  us.  How  delighted  we  were !  Then  the 
Hsien  mandarin  arrived  from  P'ing-yang  with  a  party 
of  soldiers  to  take  us,  and  we  joined  Mrs.  Ogren  on 
October  24.  She  was  alone  at  Ping-yang  when  Mr. 
Ogren  died.  Her  little  boy  was  almost  at  death's  door 
with  starvation.  The  mandarhi  bought  a  cow,  and  this 
little  one  has  been  saved.  Mrs.  Ogren  had  a  little  girl 
given  to  her  December  8.  We  started  for  Hankow 
January  6,  with  a  hundred  foot-soldiers,  sixteen  horse- 
soldiers,  and  a  mandarin  from  T'ai-yuen-fu.  It  was  a 
very  difficult  journey,  in  the  depth  of  winter.  We  had  to 
stay  in  the  inns  several  days  on  account  of  the  snow.  We 
arrived  at  Hankow  February  1 8,  and  never  shall  I  forget 
the  warm  welcome  we  received  ;  it  was  almost  too  much 
for  us  to  bear.' 


CHAPTER    XII 

In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

The  preceding  tale  of  the  sufferings  of  the  M'Kie 
party  would  not  be  complete  without  adding  the  equally 
marvellous  account  of  the  trials  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  A. 
Ogren  and  child,  as  related  by  Mrs.  Ogren  herself: — 

'  In  the  spring  of  1899  my  husband  visited  Yungning- 

chow,  and  with  some  little  difficulty  obtained  premises 

for  opening  a  mission  station.      This  city  lies  five  days' 

journey  south-west  from  T'ai-yuen-fu,  the  capital  of  the 

province.     It  is   governed  by  Fenchou    Fu,  two  days' 

journey  on  the  road  to  T'ai-yuen.     Mr.  Atwater  and  Mr. 

Price  were  working  in  Fenchou   Fu.     No  missionaries 

had  ever  lived  in  Yungningchow,  but  Mr.  Lutley  had 

stopped  there  a  few  months  several  years  before.     There 

were  two  Church  members  living  there.     In  June  we 

moved  into  the  premises  we  had  secured.     Our  place 

was  in  the  south  suburb,  between  the  city  and  a  small 

stream  lying  at  the  top  of  a  steep  hillside.     The  people 

seemed  quiet  and  well  disposed.     Our  preaching  chapel 

was  attended  from  the  first  by  great  crowds  of  people, 

who  listened  quietly.     The  official,  named  Ch'en,  was 

also  quite  friendly  toward  my  husband.     This  region 

was  suffering  from  famine,   caused  by  long-continued 

drought.     This   kept   increasing   in    severity   after   our 

arrival,  and  people  began  gradually   to  blame   us  for 

148 


Boxer  Placards  149 

keeping  away  the  rain.  But  no  signs  of  trouble  appeared. 
The  people  also  disliked  the  official  because  once  going 
to  pray  for  rain  he  rode  in  his  chair.  They  compelled 
him  to  dismount  and  walk  to  the  place.  So  we  knew 
we  were  among  a  bold  and  daring  people. 

*  In  May  1900,  Mr.  Ogren  went  to  P'ing-yang-fu  to 
attend  a  Conference  of  Missionaries.  I  remained  at 
home  and  kept  the  chapel  preaching  going  on.  Many 
people  came  every  day  to  listen  to  me  telling  the  story  of 
life  in  Jesus.  But  the  people  were  becoming  restless  and 
threatening,  so  I  sent  the  evangelist  to  the  Yamen  with 
my  card  to  speak  about  the  matter.  Nothing  was  done 
about  it,  however.  My  husband  returned  about  June  i 
with  news  that  the  Boxers  had  begun  work  in  Hungtung 
Hsien,  near  P'ing-yang-fu.  We  had  before  heard  of  the 
Boxers  in  Shantung  and  Chih-li,  but  never  thought  of 
their  coming  into  our  region. 

*  Two  days  later  came  a  letter  from  Pao-ting-fu,  telling 
of  the  black  placards  put  out  by  the  Boxers  there, 
threatening  the  foreigners.  So  we  began  to  be  alarmed, 
and  talked  about  leaving,  but  my  husband  decided  it 
was  best  to  stay.  As  the  people  were  becoming  very 
threatening,  gathering  about  our  doors  at  night  and 
making  a  disturbance,  my  husband  called  on  the  official 
to  ask  protection.  While  he  was  at  P'ing-yang-fu,  our 
friendly  official,  Ch'en,  had  gone  into  mourning  for  his 
father,  and  been  replaced  by  a  new  man  named  Chang. 
He  also,  much  to  our  relief,  proved  to  be  kindly  disposed. 
He  had  not  tried  to  go  in  his  chair  when  praying  for 
rain,  so  the  people  said  he  was  a  good  man.  He  sent 
some  soldiers  to  keep  guard  at  our  place.  He  met  my 
husband  several  times. 

*  One  day  he  sent  everybody  out  of  the  room  where 
he  was  receiving  my  husband,  and  asked  him  about  the 


I50       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

right  way  to  pray  for  rain,  seeing  his  entreaties  had  thus 
far  failed.  The  opportunity  was  used  to  show  him  the 
difference  between  the  dead  men  to  whom  they  prayed 
and  the  ever-living  God  who  rules  heaven  and  earth. 
Some  eavesdropper  seemingly  told  about  this  interview, 
and  soon  the  rumour  went  over  all  the  region  that  my 
husband  had  promised  to  bring  rain  on  a  certain  day, 
for  which  service  he  should  get  several  thousand  taels  ;  but 
if  he  failed  he  should  be  killed.  When  the  day  passed 
and  no  rain  came,  the  people  grew  more  threatening. 

*  Now  came  our  worst  danger.  About  the  middle 
of  June,  two  men  arrived,  reporting  themselves  to  be 
merchants,  but  they  had  no  goods  to  offer.  Their 
language  seemed  to  be  a  Shantung  or  Chih-li  dialect.  One 
of  them  paid  a  fellow  thirty  cash  to  show  him  where  the 
foreigners  lived.  Other  similar  mysterious  persons  kept 
arriving.  The  awestruck  whisper  went  abroad  that  the 
Boxers  had  come.  People  feared  them,  for  it  was  said 
they  wore  buttons  which  kindled  fires,  and  would  steal 
girls  to  recruit  the  "  Red-Lantern  Society " — strange 
transformation  of  stories  in  other  parts  about  foreigners. 
Stories  went  abroad  that  ships  had  come  to  Tien-tsin 
loaded  with  boxes.  In  these  boxes,  so  said  one  who 
had  managed  to  peep  through  the  hole  which  pierced 
the  side  of  each,  were  foreign  soldiers — two  in  each  box. 
On  arrival  of  these  foreign  troops,  the  "heavenly 
soldiers,"  as  Boxers  were  called,  had  flown  away  to 
heaven. 

*  In  a  few  days  black  posters  were  out,  and  the  Boxers 
were  drilling  their  recruits.  During  this  time  many 
Boxers  were  passing  Yungning  in  such  haste  as  scarcely 
to  stop  for  meals,  on  their  way  over  the  mountains  to 
Kansuh  and  elsewhere.  We  surmised  there  had  been 
some  fighting  at  the  coast,  and  the  Boxers  were  fleeing 


^We  were  to  be  Killed*  151 

from  foreign  shells ;  but  our  mails  had  now  stopped, 
and  we  had  no  means  of  learning  the  real  state  of  affairs. 
But  when  we  saw  how  the  Boxers  everywhere  won  great 
numbers  of  followers,  we  did  not  think  they  could  be 
fleeing  in  defeat. 

*  The  people  very  quickly  turned  from  fearing  to  trust- 
ing the  Boxers.  As  soon  as  they  came,  the  crowds  of 
famine  sufferers  who  had  before  threatened  us  ceased 
coming,  for  they  had  a  new  ally  to  destroy  us  and  allow 
rain  to  come  again.  We  kept  our  chapel  closed,  and 
allowed  only  those  to  come  to  us  whom  we  invited  for 
Sunday  meetings.  From  the  time  of  my  husband's 
return,  we  had  soldiers  guarding  our  place  all  the  time. 
After  the  Boxers  came,  the  official  advised  us  to  leave. 
But  we  had  heard  from  P'ing-yao  that  all  was  quiet  there, 
and,  in  answer  to  letters,  were  advised  to  remain  with 
the  inquirers  who  had  gathered  round  us.  So  we  still 
delayed  leaving.  We  hoped  God  would  keep  us  safe 
till  the  danger  had  passed. 

'  One  morning  our  servant  woman,  an  inquirer,  wanted 
to  leave  us.  We  asked  her  why,  and  she  made  some 
excuse  of  going  to  a  relative.  But  finally  she  told  us 
her  son  had  come  and  warned  her  not  to  stay,  as  we 
were  to  be  killed.  Then  we  found  out  that  during  the 
night  the  headman  of  the  gentry  had  sounded  a  gong 
round  the  streets,  and  warned  people  not  to  take  water 
from  ^.he  spring — where  nearly  the  whole  city  got  their 
water  —  because  the  foreigners  had  poisoned  it.  This 
story  came  from  my  husband  sending  the  evangelist 
late  at  night  to  our  servant  with  a  letter  which  he 
wished  him  to  take  early  in  the  morning  to  P'ing-yao ; 
and  in  going  to  the  servant's  house  he  passed  the  spring 
with  the  letter  in  his  hand.  A  mob  gathered  in  the 
night   to   come  and  destroy  us,  but  the  headman  told 


152        In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

them  to  wait,  and  he  would  accuse  us  to  the  official  in 
the  morning. 

*  My  husband  went  as  soon  as  he  heard  this  story  to 
the  Yamen.  He  told  the  official  what  was  going  on,  and 
asked  help.  The  headman  was  called,  and  asked  who 
told  him  the  spring  was  poisoned.  Those  he  named 
were  brought  in  and  punished.  They  had  merely  seen 
the  evangelist  pass  the  spring.  Sure  enough,  that  fore- 
noon the  water  turned  red.  We  suppose  this  was  done 
by  the  Boxers  to  influence  the  people  against  us. 

'July  5. — We  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Price  and  Mr. 
Lundgren,  in  Fenchou.  They  told  us  of  the  murder  of 
the  ladies  at  Hsiaoi-I-Hsien.  They  also  told  us  the 
Boxers  and  the  "  Red-Lantern  Society  "  of  women  had 
attacked  Mr.  Atwater,  but  were  punished  by  the 
mandarin  ;  but  this  mandarin  was  now  in  disgrace  with 
the  higher  officials  for  friendship  with  foreigners,  and 
would  be  degraded.  The  people  there  had  become 
quiet,  however,  and  we  were  invited  to  go  and  stay  in 
Fenchou.  But  our  official  still  promised  to  do  all  in  his 
power  to  help  us,  so  we  remained  where  we  were. 

*  Our  official  told  my  husband  he  must  not  come  to 
see  him  any  more,  for  fear  of  trouble,  but  when  he  had 
any  business  with  him  to  speak  to  the  customs  officer, 
who  would  come  and  report  it.  After  a  few  days  more 
we  were  told  to  go  to  one  of  the  secretaries  named  Ch'in. 
The  evangelist  visited  him  several  times  late  at  night, 
when  every  one  in  the  Yamen  had  finished  smoking 
opium  and  gone  to  sleep.  One  night  they  met  outside 
the  Yamen  after  midnight,  and  the  secretary  came  along 
to  our  house.  We  told  him  we  had  not  been  able  to  get 
money  from  the  coast,  so  were  unable  to  leave,  as  we  now 
wished  to  do,  unless  the  official  would  lend  us  some  silver. 
This  he  agreed  to  do,  so  we  prepared  to  leave  quickly. 


Flight  153 

*  We  had  already  cut  a  secret  door  through  the  wall 
at  the  back  of  our  garden,  and  plastered  it  over,  so  that 
we  could  open  it  and  escape  if  a  riot  should  occur.  The 
secretary  brought  us,  one  night  after  midnight,  100  taels 
from  the  official.  We  gave  a  receipt  for  this,  and  also 
arranged  that  the  official  should  take  charge  of  our 
property  when  we  left.  Everything  was  packed  up,  and 
arrangements  made  for  an  escort  to  the  Yellow  River, 
eighty  li  away,  on  the  morning  of  July  13.  We  settled 
up  with  servants,  etc.,  and  got  a  few  boxes  ready  to 
take  along.  The  night  of  July  12,  about  midnight, 
the  secretary  came  to  us  to  make  final  arrangements. 
He  then  went  back  to  the  Yamen  and  brought  seals  to 
put  on  our  boxes.  While  he  was  in  the  house  talking 
with  us,  one  of  the  soldiers  who  were  guarding  us  cried 
out,  "  There  is  a  man  in  the  tree  "  just  outside  our  garden. 
He  ran  in  for  his  sword,  and  then  began  such  a  yelling 
and  confusion  that  we  thought  the  time  had  come  to 
escape  for  our  lives.  But  the  secretary  told  us  not  to  be 
afraid  ;  it  was  all  right.  Soon  the  uproar  ceased,  and  the 
soldiers  came  back,  saying  the  man  had  dropped  from 
the  tree  and  run  for  his  life.  He  was  evidently  a  Boxer 
spy,  who  was  watching  to  see  when  we  left,  that  they 
might  catch  us.  So  we  finished  our  work  and  tried  to 
get  a  little  rest  before  starting. 

'  In  the  dim  twilight  of  breaking  day  there  came  to 
our  door  a  litter,  carried  high  on  the  backs  of  two  mules, 
and  covered  over  with  a  mat  awning.  This  was  to  carry 
us  to  Ch'ih-k'ou,  a  market  town  on  the  Yellow  River  eighty 
li  away.  We  came  silently  out  and  mounted.  Quickly 
and  noiselessly  we  started  off  on  o.ur  long  journey  to 
Hankow.  Only  God  knew  what  lay  before  us — how  we 
should  turn  longingly  toward  our  home  for  rest  and 
safety,  and  how  our  roads  must  part ;  one  going  to  the 


154       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

old  home  beyond  the  sea,  the  other  to  the  new  home 
beyond  the  shores  of  time.  Enough  for  us  to  know  we 
were  safely  on  our  way,  with  a  guard  of  half  a  dozen 
soldiers,  in  spite  of  all  the  counsels  of  our  enemies.  Well 
for  us  that  we  left  when  we  did,  for  only  two  days  later 
two  Roman  Catholic  places  not  faraway  were  destroyed 
by  the  Boxers. 

'  We  reached  Ch'ih-k'ou  safely,  but  found  the  people 
there  in  open  insurrection.  Our  official  had  sent  stringent 
orders  to  the  local  official  at  Ch'ih-k'ou  to  hire  us  a  boat 
and  start  us  quickly  on  our  way  to  T'ung-kwan,  from 
which  place  we  were  to  go  on  to  Hankow  as  quickly  as 
possible.  So  a  boat  was  secured  for  50  taels,  and  we 
began  to  embark,  not  daring  to  show  ourselves  out  of  the 
litter.  The  people  were  preparing  to  attack  us,  so  the 
local  official  went  forward  and  exhorted  them  to  be  quiet, 
saying  our  doctrines  were  not  the  same  as  the  Roman 
Catholics,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  with  them.  We 
went  on  down  the  river  bank,  our  soldier  guards  firing 
their  guns  and  yelling  like  demons.  The  official  had 
preceded  us  to  the  water's  edge,  and  as  we  went  on  the 
boat  took  leave  of  us  very  politely.  This  seemed  to  be 
meant  to  influence  the  people  favourably  toward  us. 
So  we  were  again  safely  past  great  danger.  As  our  boat 
moved  off  we  heard  some  yelling  and  spitting  after  us. 
Later,  we  were  told  that  the  poor  famine-stricken  crowd 
had  one  hundred  pairs  of  sticks  ready  on  the  shore  to 
beat  us.  The  One  whose  name  is  "  Wonderful,  Counsellor, 
The  Mighty  God,"  had  restrained  the  weapons  of  our 
enemies.  He  has  said,  "  Even  the  hairs  of  your  head  are 
all  numbered,"  and  He  had  not  forgotten  to  care  for  us. 

*  Our  boat  was  very  small,  so  that  with  two  of  the 
soldiers  on  board  as  a  guard  we  had  scarcely  room  to 
move.     We  went  sweeping  along  in  the  rapid  current. 


^We  looked  Above'  155 

This  boat  journey  was  a  great  strain  on  us,  from  the 
constant  fear  of  wreck.  The  river  is  so  swift  that  no 
boats  attempt  to  ascend  it.  They  are  sold  at  T'ung-kwan 
for  almost  nothing,  though  many  are  wrecked  on  the 
way. 

*  We  travelled  seventeen  miles  that  day,  and  stopped 
at  a  place  where  our  guard  had  to  be  changed.  Our 
money  was  now  nearly  all  gone,  so  we  concluded  to  send 
back  by  the  soldiers  returning  to  Yungning  for  some 
more  silver  from  the  official  there.  We  waited  four 
days,  and  no  answer  came.  Had  our  trust  been  in  man, 
we  should  have  despaired,  but  we  looked  above  for  care 
and  comfort. 

'On  the  fourth  day  some  ill-disposed  men  visited 
us.  The  river  here  forms  the  boundary  between  Shan-si 
and  Shen-si.  These  men  said  they  were  from  Wu-pu 
Hsien,  whose  walls  we  could  see  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  in  Shen-si.  They  demanded  50  taels,  saying 
we  must  not  be  let  off  to  our  own  land  unpunished. 
Some  advised  us  to  conciliate  them  by  a  feast,  others 
told  us  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  them.  They  kept 
trying  to  frighten  us  by  telling  of  a  place  three  miles 
below  on  the  Shen-si  side  where  we  must  stop  for  the 
customs  inspector,  and  that  our  boat  would  be  seized 
there  by  the  people  and  all  our  goods  stolen.  Our  out- 
look was  dark  indeed,  but  when  the  need  is  greatest  the 
help  is  nearest. 

'Next  night  an  answer  came  from  the  official  at 
Yungning  by  the  secretary  Ch'in,  who  had  helped  us 
so  much  before.  He  brought  with  him  30  taels  of 
silver,  also  a  letter  from  the  Fenchow  missionaries,  which 
had  come  after  our  departure.  This  said  that  all  was 
quiet  there.  We  thought  that  now  we  had  money 
enough  to  reach  T'ung-kwan,  three  hundred  miles  away 


156       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

over  the  rapids.  My  husband  told  the  secretary  of  the 
threats  made  by  the  men  from  Wu-pu  Hsien,  so  two 
soldiers  were  sent  to  secure  protection  at  the  customs 
station  mentioned.  How  we  now  praised  God  for  again 
calming  the  storm  which  raged  about  us,  and  speaking 
peace  to  our  hearts  by  His  "  Fear  not,  it  is  I." 

*  The  secretary  had  also  been  instructed  to  get  us  a 
larger  and  better  boat,  and  send  us  on  with  all  speed. 
No  doubt  the  same  orders  had  now  reached  Yung- 
ning  as  were  sent  to  all  other  officials,  to  help  the 
Boxers  kill  the  foreigners,  and  our  official  was  sending 
us  away  by  the  quickest,  though  also  most  dangerous, 
way.  For  the  exchange  of  boats  we  had  to  pay  12 
taels.  Another  part  of  the  30  taels  was  to  be  given 
the  two  soldiers  who  had  come  with  the  secretary  to 
guard  us  to  T'ung-kwan  for  their  expenses  on  the  way 
back.  So  we  had  but  a  few  taels  left  for  use  on  the  way. 
The  secretary  now  bade  us  farewell,  and  returned  with 
the  other  two  soldiers  whom  he  had  brought  along.  He 
gave  us  a  very  cordial  letter  of  recommendation  from 
the  Yungning  official  to  be  shown  at  official  places.  It 
spoke  in  warm  terms  of  my  husband,  and  asked  kind 
care  for  him  on  his  journey. 

'  We  started  on  again,  and  soon  reached  the  customs 
place  of  which  we  had  been  warned.  Sure  enough,  a 
crowd  of  roughs  came  at  us,  and  were  even  ready  to 
attack  our  guard.  But  when  the  officials  at  the  customs- 
house  saw  this,  they  called  out  to  them,  "Catch  the 
dogs  ;  tie  them  and  bring  them  here."  This  quieted  the 
rowdies,  and  we  passed  unmolested.  Now  our  boat 
shot  down  the  roaring  rapids,  the  muddy  water  boiling 
round  us  as  it  went  tossing  over  the  rocks.  We  were  in 
constant  fear  that  our  boat  would  go  to  pieces  on  the 
rocks,  and  we  sink  to  a  watery  grave.    Our  sense  of  danger 


Perplexities  157 

was  just  as  great  as  later  when  we  were  in  the  hands  of 
Boxers.  But  God  kept  us  safe  from  shipwreck.  In  two 
days  we  reached  Lung  Wang  Chan,  one  hundred  and 
seventy  miles  from  Ch'ih-k'ou.  From  here  it  was  five 
days  by  land  to  P'ing-yang-fu,  and  still  one  hundred  and 
seventy  miles  by  the  river  to  T'ung-kwan.  There  is  a 
rapid  here  so  dangerous  that  for  three  miles  the  boat 
must  be  taken  on  shore  and  dragged  past  the  rapid  and 
launched  again  below. 

'We  arrived  in  the  evening,  and  stopped  for  the 
night,  intending  to  continue  our  journey  in  the  morning. 
But  when  our  guard  went  ashore  they  heard  that  a  few 
days  before  some  foreigners  had  been  killed  by  Boxers 
at  Yumenk'ou,  thirty  miles  farther  down  the  river,  and 
their  bodies  thrown  in  the  river.  This  was  the  party 
from  Ho-tsin  and  Chichow.  Now  we  were  in  great 
perplexity.  We  knew  it  would  be  impossible  to  pass 
Yumenk'ou,  for  neither  our  letter  of  recommendation 
from  Yungning  nor  our  entreaties  would  avail  anything 
with  the  dreaded  Boxers,  and  our  guard  of  two  men 
would  not  be  able  to  protect  us.  They  now  advised  us 
to  divide  up  our  goods — no  doubt  they  would  accept  a 
share— and  escape  over  the  river  into  Shen-si. 

'  Near  our  halting-place  they  found  an  old  ex-official, 
about  eighty  years  of  age,  who  knew  our  Yungning 
official,  and  for  his  sake  showed  us  kindness.  One  of 
his  enterprises  was  keeping  an  inn  only  a  few  steps  from 
the  shore.  Next  morning  he  came  to  us  and  invited 
us  to  his  inn.  He  had  some  mules  which  were  now 
away  from  home,  but  would  be  back  in  a  few  days,  and 
then  he  would  help  us  across  the  river  and  to  a  farm  of 
his  thirty  miles  from  the  river,  where  we  could  hide  for 
a  while.  He  said  that  since  eight  nations  were  fighting 
against  China  the  war  could  not  last  long,  and  we  could 


158       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

hide  in  the  mountains  of  Shen-si  until  peace  came.  We 
went  to  the  inn,  and  the  two  soldiers  of  our  guard 
returned  to  Yungning,  taking  with  them  a  letter  to  the 
official  asking  advice  and  help.  We  had  not  yet  heard 
of  the  proclamation  ordering  all  foreigners  to  be  killed. 
So  we  hoped  for  an  answer  to  our  letter  to  reach  us  in 
Shen-si.     But  it  never  came. 

^ July  26. — Our  landlord's  servants  returned  with 
mules,  and  we  got  ready  to  start.  But  thirty-three 
soldiers  from  P'ing-yang-fu  under  two  officers  came 
along,  and  told  us  they  had  been  sent  with  orders  to  drive 
us  out  of  the  province,  and  that  we  must  go  with  them 
in  the  morning.  We  made  excuses,  for  we  saw  they 
meant  harm.  But  when  we  said  it  would  be  impossible 
for  us  to  start  a  long  journey  on  foot  with  them,  they 
shouted  angrily,  "  No  difference  about  that ;  you  be  ready 
to  go  along  with  us  in  the  morning."  When  our  old 
evangelist,  who  had  come  thus  far,  saw  them,  he  asked 
where  they  were  from  and  what  they  were  doing.  They 
said  they  were  out  chasing  foreign  devils.  He  was  a 
very  timid  man,  and  this  so  frightened  him  that  he  took 
to  his  heels.  Before  he  got  far,  some  roughs  grabbed 
him  and  took  from  him  the  last  of  our  silver — four 
or  five  taels — which  we  had  left  with  him  to  keep, 
and  he  went  on  as  best  he  could.  We  never  saw  him 
again. 

*  We  learned  from  the  people  that  the  soldiers  had 
said  they  were  going  to  take  us  a  few  miles  and  kill 
us.  But  God  again  interposed  on  our  behalf.  The  old 
gentleman  named  Wu,  in  whose  inn  we  were  staying, 
interceded  for  us  and  got  up  a  feast  for  all  the  soldiers. 
Next  morning  they  went  away  without  molesting  us, 
but  charging  the  old  man  to  get  us  out  of  the  province 
that   day.     He  was  overjoyed  at  getting   rid  of  them  : 


'Now  we  are  Caught'  159 

came  into  our  room,  and,  giving  us  a  military  salute,  told 
us  he  had  been  to  worship  the  spirit,  and  inquiring  about 
us  had  got  the  answer, "  Ming  puh  hsiang  kan"  ("  No  fear 
for  their  lives  ").  But  if  we  had  not  had  firmer  ground 
than  this  for  our  faith,  our  hearts  would  have  sunk  with 
despair.  We  praised  God  for  again  delivering  us,  and 
prepared  to  go.  A  few  of  our  most  necessary  things 
we  put  in  a  box  and  a  hamper.  These  with  some  bedding 
we  took  on  our  flight;  all  the  rest  we  left  with  Wu. 
He  furnished  us  with  two  mules  to  go  to  his  farm  at 
Li-chia-san,  twenty-seven  miles  beyond  the  river.  He 
also  gave  us  rice  and  flour  for  use  on  the  journey,  and 
said  we  could  get  what  we  needed  from  the  tenant  on 
his  farm. 

*  He  walked  out  a  little  way  with  us  when  we 
started,  as  we  were  to  cross  the  river  at  a  ferry  three 
miles  above.  We  saw  a  woman  coming  toward  us  waving 
her  arms,  as  though  motioning  us  back,  and  calling  out 
something  which  we  did  not  understand.  We  supposed 
she  was  speaking  to  the  landlord,  but  he  paid  no 
attention,  though  he  must  have  understood.  He  soon 
took  leave  of  us,  and  we  went  on  with  the  servants  and 
a  ferryman.  Now  we  learned  that  the  woman  had  told  us 
not  to  go  on,  as  there  were  some  bad  characters  waiting 
for  us  up  the  road.  When  we  had  gone  about  a  mile 
we  saw  some  men  skulking  about  among  the  rocks 
ahead  of  us.  The  ferryman  called  out,  "  Oh  dear,  now 
we  are  caught."  We  were  much  alarmed,  but  could  do 
nothing  but  go  forward,  like  Israel  at  the  Red  Sea. 
On  one  side  were  the  steep  rocky  mountains ;  on  the 
other,  the  rushing,  muddy  torrent,  as  far  as  we  could 
see  ;  behind,  who  knew  how  many  enemies  waited  for 
us  ?  and  before  were  our  foes  crouching  in  sight  behind 
a  rock.     I  was  riding  one  of  the  mules,  our  goods  were 


i6o       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

packed  on  the  other,  and    my   husband  came   a   Httle 
behind,  carrying  our  little  Samuel. 

'  As  I  came  up  to  the  rock,  the  men  came  from 
behind  it,  brandishing  their  weapons  and  yelling,  and 
ordered  us  to  stop.  They  demanded  300  taels  (say 
;640  sterling).  I  got  down  from  the  mule  and  went  up 
to  a  man  who  stood  swinging  his  sword.  I  begged  him 
to  have  mercy  on  us,  and  told  him  to  take  all  else  of 
ours,  but  to  spare  some  clothes  for  the  baby.  Perhaps 
he  felt  something  like  pity,  for  when  they  had  taken  our 
things  down  from  the  mule  and  were  rifling  them,  this 
man  took  up  a  little  baby  shirt  and  passed  it  to  me  on 
the  point  of  his  sword.  You  may  be  sure  I  gladly  took 
anything  which  would  help  to  save  my  poor  baby.  The 
bandits  divided  among  them  one  thousand  cash  which 
our  landlord  had  given  us  for  road  expenses,  and  then 
searched  my  handbag.  I  begged  them  to  leave  us  one 
hundred  cash  which  was  there,  and  they  did  so. 

*  After  they  had  taken  what  they  wanted  of  our  things, 
the  man  with  the  sword  began  whetting  it  with  strange 
movements  such  as  Boxers  used,  and  cried, ''  Shah  "  (Kill). 
We  supposed  that  now  our  last  hour  had  come,  and  our 
bodies  were  soon  to  be  hurled  into  the  rushing  muddy 
stream.  But  we  begged  for  mercy,  and  they  spared  us. 
As  soon  as  the  brigands  left,  we  went  on  again,  and 
came  to  the  ferry  just  as  it  began  to  rain.  So  the  men 
who  were  with  us  proposed  to  stay  overnight  in  the 
small  inn,  and  cross  the  river  early  next  morning.  We 
felt  that  our  lives  hung  on  getting  out  of  Shan-si  as  soon 
as  possible,  so  insisted  on  crossing  at  once. 

'  Finally,  they  agreed  to  take  us  over.  Well  for  us 
they  did  so,  for  early  next  morning  twenty-two  soldiers 
from  Chi-chow  came  to  Mr.  Wu's  place  with  orders  to 
seize  us,  but  learned  we  were  already  in  Shen-si,  and 


THE   TA   NIXG   MARTYRS. 

F.    E.    NATHAN.  M.    HEAYSMAN. 

M.    R.    NATHAN.  CAVE   DWELLING,    TA    NING. 

RUINED   CHAPEL,   TA   NING. 

[See  p.  75- 


Kindness  of  Mr.  Wu  i6i 

beyond  their  power.  The  servants  of  Mr.  Wu  would 
not  cross  the  river  with  us,  as  had  been  promised  us,  but 
took  the  mules  back  home.  Some  people  told  us  the 
old  gentleman  had  sent  us  away  only  because  he  wanted 
to  keep  our  things  ;  but  this  was  hard  to  believe.  When 
we  got  across  the  river  it  was  dark  and  raining.  The 
ferrymen  were  going  to  leave  us  alone  there  on  the 
shore ;  by  promising  them  a  good  reward  as  soon  as  we 
could  hear  from  Mr.  Wu,  we  induced  them  to  help 
carry  our  things  up  the  bank,  and  they  showed  us  two 
black,  smoky  caves  where  we  could  stop.  This  was 
where  the  ferrymen  lived,  and  we  found  them  anything 
but  good  men.  In  spite  of  our  protests,  they  nearly 
used  up  the  little  flour  we  had,  which  we  used  to  make 
gruel  for  little  Samuel ;  and  they  spoke  very  unkindly. 

'We  had  sent  word  by  the  returning  servants  of 
Mr.  Wu  of  our  robbery,  and  asked  for  the  loan  of  one 
thousand  cash.  We  waited  in  the  caves  four  days 
for  answer.  We  began  to  be  uneasy,  but  as  usual 
committed  ourselves  to  God,  waiting  for  His  help. 
On  the  fourth  day,  a  servant  came  from  Mr.  Wu  with 
one  thousand  cash,  but  no  mules,  so  we  had  to  walk. 
The  men  who  had  helped  carry  our  luggage  up  the 
bank  claimed  seven  hundred  cash  for  this  service,  and 
would  not  let  us  go  unless  we  left  with  them  our  box 
as  rent  for  the  use  of  their  cave  four  days.  We  man- 
aged to  induce  the  servant  who  came  with  the  cash 
to  carry  what  baggage  we  had  left. 

*We  found  the  road  very  hard  to  travel,  over  the 
steep,  rough  mountains.  In  the  broiling  heat  thirst 
parched  us;  I  could  walk  only  a  little  way  and  then 
sink  down  exhausted.  Our  baby's  eyes  were  inflamed 
by  the  heat,  and  he  suffered  very  much.  But  we  had 
a  small   enamelled  saucepan  and  a  bottle  of  water,  so 


II 


1 62       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

by  preparing  him  some  condensed  milk  which  we  had 
still,  and  native  arrowroot,  we  kept  him  alive. 

'  We  did  not  go  far  the  first  day.  It  took  much 
entreaty  to  get  permission  to  stop  in  a  village  over- 
night. Next  day  we  managed  to  hire  a  donkey  for  me 
to  ride,  and  so  finished  the  journey.  Li-chia-san  was 
the  name  of  the  village  where  the  farm  was.  Mr.  Wu 
had  told  us  we  could  use  his  flour  and  rice  at  this 
farm ;  but  the  tenant's  wife  declared  she  would  not  let 
us  have  food  until  she  saw  the  cash  for  it,  although  the 
servant  who  came  with  us  told  her  his  master  had  sent 
us  and  given  permission  to  use  his  food.  We  could 
not  be  forbidden  lodging,  so  were  given  a  cave  outside 
the  farmyard.  We  sent  a  message  by  the  servant 
when  he  started  home,  asking  Mr.  Wu  to  lend  us  some 
more  money,  holding  the  clothes  we  had  left  with  him 
as  security.     No  answer  came. 

'At  sundown  of  our  third  day  in  Li-chia-san,  we 
saw  three  men  coming  over  the  hill,  and  wondered 
whether  they  were  messengers  with  money ;  they 
turned  out  to  be  robbers.  One  of  them  we  had  seen 
in  the  ferrymen's  cave,  and  he  led  the  other  two  to 
us.  One  of  them  had  a  big  knife,  and  said  he  was 
from  Ich'uan  Hsien  Yamen.  He  whetted  his  sword 
and  rushed  at  my  husband,  saying  we  had  not  invited 
them  to  eat.  We  ran  to  the  tenant's  house,  and  left 
the  robbers  to  have  their  way  with  our  things.  They 
took  everything  they  considered  worth  taking.  We 
had  before  given  my  watch  and  some  clothes  to  the 
tenant's  wife  to  hide  for  us,  and  these  they  did  not 
get.  They  were  angry  to  get  so  little  plunder,  and 
threatened  to  take  us  to  the  Yamen.  We  did  not 
know  the  Governor  of  Shen-si  was  friendly,  so  wanted 
to  keep  hidden.     We  could  not  give  the  robbers  silver, 


Three  Days  in  a  Cave  163 

as  they  demanded  we  must  do,  but  finally  got  rid  of 
them  by  giving  them  a  paper  allowing  them  to  take 
anything  they  wished  from  the  box  left  at  the  ferry. 
Of  course  it  had  not  much  in  it  by  the  time  they  got 
there. 

'  As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  four  men  came  who  said 
they  were  from  Ich'uan  Hsien  Yamen  with  orders  to 
arrest  us.  They  were  angry  to  find  us  already  plundered, 
and  went  off  to  get  their  leader,  who  was  about  two 
miles  away.  The  tenant  now  advised  us  to  go  to  a 
cave  deep  in  the  mountains,  where  his  wife  would  bring 
us  food.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark  we  started,  with  the 
tenant's  wife  and  young  son  as  guides.  The  cave  was 
only  a  small  hole  in  the  ground,  from  which  my 
husband  had  to  dig  out  lumps  of  earth,  both  to  get 
more  room  and  to  build  up  a  screen  that  the  passing 
shepherds  might  not  see  us.  The  first  day  in  this  cave 
we  had  fire  to  make  some  gruel  for  the  child.  Then 
our  matches  were  done,  and  we  could  not  get  a  fire 
from  native  flint  and  steel,  which  we  tried  ;  so  there  was 
only  cold  water  and  raw  flour  for  a  nine-months'  babe. 
He  suffered  terribly  from  hunger.  The  first  two  days 
we  had  some  maize  meal  gruel  and  bread  brought  us 
in  the  evening  to  eat.  But  when  the  tenant's  son-in-law 
brought  it  the  second  day,  he  said  we  would  get  no 
more  from  them.  Next  day  we  waited  hungrily  till 
dark,  but  no  one  came  near.  So  we  crept  out  of  our 
hole  and  started  back  to  Li-chia-san,  which  was  only 
a  mile  or  so  away. 

'  The  men  at  the  farmhouse  were  very  angry  and 
brutal,  but  the  women  were  kind.  We  asked  them  to 
help  us  by  giving  us  a  little  flour,  holding  as  security 
the  few  things  of  ours  which  were  hidden  with  them. 
They  flew  into  such  a  rage  at  the  mere  mention  of  such 


i64       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

a  thing  that  we  did  not  dare  speak  of  the  matter  again. 
By  and  by  they  offered  to  give  us  flour  for  a  small 
travelling  mirror  which  I  had,  and  by  this  we  were 
able  to  live  on  a  while  longer.  It  cut  me  to  the  heart 
to  see  my  husband  and  child  suffer  so  much  from 
hunger.  I  could  endure  the  hunger  much  better  than 
they.  Sometimes  my  husband  was  in  awful  agony 
of  pain  from  hunger.  But  when  I  grieved  about  it, 
he  said,  "  It  is  no  matter  what  we  suffer  for  Jesus'  sake." 
In  the  midst  of  hunger  and  privation  he  could  say, 
"  I  rejoice  that  through  these  sufferings  the  Church  will 
be  awakened  into  new  life.  The  field  is  being  watered 
with  blood,  and  what  a  harvest  there  will  be  !  "  He,  too, 
was  soon  to  join  those  who  had  shed  their  blood  for 
poor  China ;  and  his  comfort  was  in  the  assurance  that 
the  sower  and  the  reaper  shall  rejoice  together. 

'  We  arranged  with  the  tenant's  son-in-law,  a  most 
villainous-looking  fellow,  to  go  to  our  old  friend  Mr. 
Wu  and  try  to  get  some  more  help.  The  distance  was 
only  thirty  miles,  but  he  was  gone  seven  days.  We 
stayed  at  the  farm  waiting.  We  heard  this  son-in-law 
was  such  a  bad  man  the  landlord  would  not  allow  him 
on  his  place.  So  we  were  not  surprised  when  he 
returned  empty-handed,  for  no  doubt  he  had  not  seen 
Mr.  Wu  at  all.  He  seemed  to  have  heard  of  the 
Boxers'  offer  of  lOO  taels  (say  £^,0  sterling)  for  every 
foreign  head.  He  began  to  rage  like  a  madman, 
snatched  up  his  sword  and  rushed  at  us.  But  his  wife 
and  relatives  held  him  back,  and  he  did  not  manage 
to  hurt  us. 

'We  now  saw  that  we  could  not  stay  here  any 
longer,  and  made  plans  to  leave  next  day.  We  thought 
the  war  at  the  coast  must  surely  come  to  an  end  soon, 
and   we   should   be   able   to  go  on  with  our  work   at 


*My  Yoke  is  Easy*  165 

Yungning.  We  felt  safer  in  Shen-si  than  in  Shan-si ;  so 
thought  of  going  north  till  opposite  Yungning,  then 
would  cross  the  river  and  hurry  secretly  to  the  city  and 
ask  protection  from  the  official,  who  we  were  sure  would 
do  all  he  could  to  help  us.  I  still  had  my  foreign 
scissors,  and  hoped  we  could  persuade  the  ferryman  to 
take  them  for  our  passage  money.  Next  morning  we 
turned  our  faces  homeward — how  we  longed  for  home 
and  rest  once  more  after  all  our  sufferings !  But  what 
a  long  toilsome  way  lay  before  us  ! 

'  VVe  knew  not  where  we  should  find  lodging,  nor 
how  we  should  get  food ;  for  we  were  moneyless.  We 
had  only  the  clothes  we  wore,  baby's  quilt  and  pillow, 
the  little  saucepan,  and  a  little  bag  of  flour  to  make 
gruel  for  baby,  and  my  scissors.  But  He  who  said, 
"The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests,  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His 
head,"  who  had  for  our  sakes  become  poor,  and  for 
whose  sake  we  were  now  poor,  had  not  forsaken  us.  He 
had  said,  "  Take  no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall 
eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ;  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what 
ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and 
the  body  than  raiment  ?  "  Had  we  not  come  to  China 
in  full  reliance  upon  Him  ?  Before  leaving  Sweden  for 
China  I  had  said,  "  The  Lord  will  care  for  me ;  and  if 
not,  I  am  willing  to  go  through  starvation  into  heaven." 
Was  He  now  to  take  me  at  my  word  ?  I  wondered.  Or 
would  He  only  try  me  ?  However  it  would  end,  I  felt 
that  to  die  of  starvation  for  Jesus  who  died  for  me  was 
easy.  I  found  it  true,  "  My  yoke  is  easy,  and  My  burden 
is  light." 

*  When  we  set  out  from  Li-chia-san,  part  of  the 
people  held  back  the  tenant's  son-in-law,  who  raged  like 
a  madman,  and  others   escorted   us   out   a  little  way. 


1 66       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

Then  we  went  on  over  the  wild,  steep  mountains  through 
the  scorching  heat.  We  avoided  the  larger  roads,  wish- 
ing to  keep  out  of  sight,  and  followed  bypaths  where 
we  sometimes  had  to  creep  up  mountain  sides  on  hands 
and  feet,  with  difficulty  keeping  from  rolling  down  the 
steep  slopes.  The  population  was  very  sparse,  but  the 
people  we  met  were  kind.  They  gave  us  food  at  least 
once  a  day,  and  we  always  had  some  place  to  lodge. 
They  told  us  to  keep  away  from  the  Yellow  River,  as 
there  were  men  there  seeking  to  harm  us. 

'  On  the  third  day  we  were  told  that  to  go  farther 
north  we  must  cross  the  Fen  River,  next  in  size  to  the 
Yellow  River,  but  with  shallow,  fordable  places;  and 
that  we  had  better  come  to  the  river  at  a  ford.  When 
we  came  to  this  river  we  could  not  tell  where  to  try 
crossing  it.  After  waiting  till  we  had  almost  concluded 
to  turn  back,  we  saw  an  old  man  come  down  to  cross. 
He  agreed  to  show  us  the  way  over.  The  current  was 
so  swift  it  made  one  dizzy  to  look  down,  and  the  water 
was  so  deep  it  was  difficult  to  wade.  The  old  man  took 
my  hand,  to  keep  me  from  being  carried  away.  And  I, 
by  faith  looking  up  to  God,  took  hold  of  the  hand  of 
Him  who  said,  "When  thou  passest  through  the  waters 
I  will  be  with  thee,  and  through  the  rivers  they  shall  not 
overflow  thee." 

'  When  we  had  crossed  the  river,  the  old  man  showed 
us  the  way  to  his  village ;  so  God  gave  us  not  only  a 
guide  across  the  river  but  also  a  lodging-place,  for  it  was 
now  sunset,  and  the  region  very  desert-like.  Weak  as 
we  were,  it  was  a  hard  climb  up  the  bank  to  the  village. 
The  people  received  us  very  kindly ;  and  supposing 
the  next  day  was  Sunday,  we  concluded  to  stop  over. 
When  we  again  set  out  on  our  journey,  the  old  man 
gave  us  some  directions  about  the  road,  which  were  not 


Seized  by  Ruffians  167 

very  clear.  We  kept  on  till  sundown,  when  we  sud- 
denly came  out  of  a  narrow  gully  to  a  large  village, 
where  we  saw  the  flags  of  a  customs  office.  We  had 
heard  by  the  way  that  the  official  at  Ich'uan  had  heard 
of  our  being  in  his  region,  and  said  he  would  neither 
help  us  nor  harm  us,  so  we  felt  it  was  necessary  to  keep 
hidden.  But  now  we  were  seen  by  the  villagers,  and  it 
was  too  late  to  turn  back.  They  seemed  to  be  expect- 
ing us,  very  likely  having  heard  of  our  coming  from 
some  one  who  passed  us  during  the  day.  My  husband 
w^as  very  anxious,  but  we  could  only  go  on  through  the 
village,  whatever  might  happen.  The  crowd  which 
gathered  round  us  made  ribald  sport  as  we  passed, 
shouting  in  diabolic  glee. 

'  We  passed  clear  through  the  place,  and  were  going 
on  our  way,  when  some  bad-looking  ruffians  came 
running  after  us.  They  seized  my  husband  by  the  queue 
and  me  by  the  arm,  and  dragged  us  back  to  the  village. 
They  seemed  determined  to  kill  us  then  and  there ;  but 
some  other  men  came  and  kept  them  from  harming  us, 
almost  getting  into  a  fight  about  us.  So  we  were  led 
away  to  a  temple,  and  the  men  released  us,  alter  much 
entreaty.  We  were  now  searched  for  "  medicine."  Then 
they  shut  us  up  in  a  tumble-down  room,  which  looked 
as  though  it  might  be  used  as  a  prison.  We  found  the 
name  of  the  place  was  Anhoch'u,  and  that  the  men  who 
seized  us  were  underlings  employed  about  the  customs 
office.  During  the  evening  we  received  a  pot  of  water, 
some  fuel,  and  one  "  shen  "  of  rice,  sent  by  the  gentry  as 
prison  fare. 

'  Next  morning,  when  they  came  to  drive  us  out  of 
Shen-si,  my  husband  pleaded  to  see  the  customs  officer ; 
but  to  no  purpose.  Two  men  were  appointed  to  escort 
us.     The    younger    was    an    evil-countenanced   rogue, 


i68       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

unarmed ;  the  elder  was  many-fold  more  villainous- 
looking,  and  carried  a  sword,  which  he  kept  prominently 
in  view.  Again  our  small  stock  of  belongings  was  over- 
hauled by  enemies.  They  emptied  the  feathers  from 
Samuel's  poor  little  pillow  and  burned  them.  One  of 
them  seized  my  Bible ;  but  the  vehemence  with  which 
I  declared  I  could  not  and  would  not  part  with  that 
Holy  Book  seemed  to  touch  the  heart  of  even  this 
ruffian  with  his  murderous  sword ;  and  after  turning 
over  the  leaves  a  little,  he  hesitatingly  handed  it  back 
to  me.  Our  two  guards  now  growled  at  us  to  move  on, 
and  the  crowd  moved  with  us,  that  evil-looking  wretch 
following  us  swinging  his  sword. 

*  We  went  on  till  noon,  when  we  halted  at  a  farm, 
and  our  guard  ordered  the  people  to  furnish  food  for 
us  and  them,  as  they  were  on  public  business.  The 
farmers  refused,  saying  this  was  no  public  business,  but 
only  their  own  wicked  affair.  They  said  they  were 
willing  to  feed  us,  but  not  our  oppressors.  They  de- 
manded we  should  be  set  free.  They  also  spoke  to  us, 
and  told  us  these  rascals  were  only  wanting  to  make 
some  money,  and  we  had  better  give  them  some,  even  a 
few  hundred  cash,  and  get  free.  We  said  we  had  no 
money,  and  asked  them  to  loan  us  a  little,  which  we 
would  repay  many  times  over.  But  they  evidently  did 
not  think  that  we  could  escape  alive  any  way,  so  did  not 
trust  our  promises.  I  was  feeling  very  ill,  and  the 
farmers'  people,  seeing  my  condition,  prepared  a  place 
for  me  to  rest.  But  before  long  the  guides  came  and 
ordered  me  to  get  up  and  go  on.  The  farmers  offered 
me  a  donkey  to  ride,  but  the  guides  would  not  allow  it. 
So  we  had  to  go  on  as  before,  God  giving  us  strength 
for  the  way. 

'  We  were  led  along  through  a  wild,  desolate  gully 


^I  Feared  Foul  Play'  169 

in  the  mountains.  Some  men  came  along  with  laden 
donkeys  ;  our  guards  shouted  threateningly  at  them  to 
get  out  of  sight,  and  they  hurried  away.  Once  they  led 
us  aside  from  the  road  into  a  deep,  pit-like  ravine,  and 
told  us  to  sit  down  and  rest.  I  feared  foul  play,  and  said 
we  could  not  rest  here,  but  must  be  going  on.  Again,  on 
the  summit  of  a  hill  they  ordered  us  to  sit  down,  but 
again  we  refused.  The  younger  of  our  guides  afterwards 
told  us  they  had  several  times  been  about  to  kill  us,  but 
he  persuaded  the  other  to  wait.  Along  the  way  they 
beguiled  the  time  singing  of  the  three  slaves  going  out 
to  be  killed.  When  night  came  we  lay  on  the  bare 
stone  floor  of  a  theatre,  too  cold  in  our  thin  garments 
to  sleep.  We  were  glad  of  the  morning,  when  we  could 
at  least  move  along  to  keep  warm. 

'We  were  now  nearing  the  Yellow  River,  and 
pleaded  to  be  released ;  but  the  men  refused  unless  we 
had  some  valuables  sewed  up  in  our  clothes  which  we 
would  give  them.  It  seemed  they  were  sure  of  some 
reward  if  they  delivered  us  to  the  Boxers,  so  would  not 
let  us  off  for  nothing.  At  last  we  came  to  the  river,  and 
the  ferryman  was  compelled  to  take  us  over  free,  being 
told  it  was  public  business.  There  was  a  customs 
office  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  We  saw  a  Boxer 
"  red  lantern  "  outside  a  door,  and  knew  the  place  was 
held  by  Boxers.  Only  the  younger  of  our  guides  was 
with  us,  and  he  handed  us  over  to  the  Boxers.  They 
did  not  harm  us,  but  led  my  husband  into  a  shop  with 
the  "  red  lantern  "  over  the  door  to  have  a  talk  with  him. 
A  crowd  gathered  around  me  and  Samuel,  and  one  man, 
cocking  his  head  to  one  side  with  a  sardonic  grin,  told 
me  the  Taning  missionaries  had  gone  back  to  heaven. 
I  knew  from  this  the  ladies  there  had  been  murdered. 

'  After  a  while  my  husband  was  led  out,  and  we  were 


I70       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

told  we  should  be  taken  back  to  Yungning.  But  they  led 
us  east  instead  of  north,  and  we  knew  we  were  being  taken 
to  Taninghsien,  twenty  miles  away.  The  young  man 
who  brought  us  to  the  customs  station  was  with  us  still, 
and  several  of  the  Boxer  followers.  My  husband  asked 
them  to  give  us  over  to  the  magistrate  in  Taning,  instead 
of  to  the  Boxers,  but  they  would  not  consent.  We  went 
on  two  miles  that  evening  to  a  village  where  Boxer  flags 
were  fluttering.  They  put  us  in  a  cave  to  spend  the 
night.  These  caves  are  built  of  brickwork  covered  over 
with  earth,  and  used  as  houses.  Our  guards  lay  down 
on  the  brick  bed  and  smoked  opium  for  a  while,  then 
went  out  and  locked  the  door.  They  were  gone  so  long 
we  supposed  they  were  preparing  to  kill  us.  But  after 
a  long  time  some  food  was  brought  us,  so  we  concluded 
our  hour  had  not  come.  My  eye  had  become  inflamed 
by  the  heat,  and  w^as  badly  swollen  and  very  painful ;  I 
was  utterly  exhausted,  and  that  night  I  felt  it  was  better 
to  die  than  go  on  in  this  way.  Yet  God  saw  fit  to  spare 
us. 

'  In  the  morning  my  eye  was  too  swollen  to  open  ; 
but  that  could  not  stop  us.  We  went  on,  and  at  sun- 
set came  to  T'aochiao,  ten  miles  from  Taning.  Here 
the  Boxer  general  had  his  headquarters.  Our  guard 
seemed  to  fear  him,  and  some  would  have  run  away  but 
for  the  exhortations  of  the  young  guide  who  had  come 
with  us  from  Shen-si.  He  also  advised  my  husband  to 
go  himself  to  the  general  and  persuade  him  if  possible 
not  to  kill  us,  as  we  would  thus  have  more  chance  of 
mercy  than  if  we  tried  to  run  away  from  him.  Now  we 
came  to  the  temple  where  the  general  was.  My  husband 
looked  much  dejected  ;  but  I  had  begun  to  hope  the 
promise  of  a  large  sum  of  silver  to  the  general  would 
save  us.     I  gave  my  husband  a  word  which  the  Lord 


*I  could  only  Pray'  171 

brought  to  us  that  mornmg,  "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with 
thee."  This  seemed  to  comfort  him  a  little.  Then  we 
heard  a  stern  voice  in  the  temple  say,  "Bring  in  the 
man."  The  young  man  came  out  and  led  my  husband 
inside,  coming  back  presently  with  a  few  small  articles 
they  had  taken  from  his  pockets.  He  led  me  into  the 
outer  courtyard,  and  I  sat  down  on  a  stone  with  Samuel 
on  my  knee. 

'  My  husband  was  speaking  in  pleading  tones  to  some 
one  in  the  temple,  telling  who  and  whence  we  were,  and 
how  we  came  to  be  no  farther  on  the  journey  we  had 
undertaken.  He  was  quickly  interrupted  by  a  loud 
shrieking  voice.  Then  I  heard  the  sound  of  sharpening 
swords,  followed  a  little  later  by  a  weird  moaning,  as  of 
some  one  being  tortured.  My  feelings  were  indescrib- 
able. I  could  only  pray  to  God  that  He  would  shorten 
the  sufferings  of  my  poor  husband  and  fill  his  heart  with 
peace,  and  to  give  me  courage  to  meet  my  suffering 
without  fear.  After  a  little  I  was  surprised  to  hear  my 
husband's  voice  again,  speaking  pleadingly  and  crying. 
Again  he  was  interrupted,  and  there  came  the  same 
moaning  tones  as  before.  Then  all  was  silent.  Without 
doubt  my  husband  was  killed,  and  I  felt  alone  with  my 
helpless  babe. 

'  It  was  now  growing  dark,  and  all  the  guards  had 
left  me.  The  thought  came  that  I  should  creep  away 
and  hide  among  the  mountains.  I  rose  and  started  a 
few  steps,  then  turned  back  and  sat  down  again.  The 
thought  had  come  to  me,  "  How  can  I  go  away  and 
leave  my  poor  husband  to  die  alone  ? "  and  I  was  almost 
ashamed  of  myself  Pretty  soon  the  men  who  had 
brought  us  here  came  hurrying  out  of  the  temple  and 
pulled  me  behind  a  wall,  saying,  "The  general  is 
coming,  and  he   can't   abide   the   sight   of  a   woman." 


172       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

There  was  a  great  firing  of  guns  and  hallooing,  and  the 
whole  crowd  came  out  of  the  temple  yard,  as  I  supposed 
carrying  out  the  corpse. 

*  Now  they  came  for  me,  and  I  thought,  "It  is  my 
turn  now."  A  sense  of  weakness  overcame  me,  and 
though  I  wished  to  go  I  could  not.  A  man  reached  out 
an  iron  crook  for  me  to  hold  to.  But  then,  seeing  I  could 
not  walk  alone,  took  my  hand  and  led  me  down  to  the 
side  of  the  little  river.  They  told  me  to  sit  down,  and 
I  thanked  God  for  another  deliverance.  The  man  who 
held  my  hand  said  they  would  not  kill  me.  I  asked 
about  my  husband,  and  he  said  they  would  not  kill  him, 
but  had  taken  him  to  have  a  talk  with  the  general,  and 
to-morrow  I  should  see  him  at  a  place  three  miles  farther 
on  ;  then  we  would  be  taken  to  Yungning.  I  asked  why 
we  were  not  taken  on  together  to-night,  but  got  no 
answer. 

*  Soon  we  saw  at  some  distance  by  the  river  shore  a 
number  of  lanterns,  and  heard  a  great  uproar,  but  could 
see  nothing  distinctly.  After  a  good  while,  some  of  the 
men  who  had  taken  out  my  husband  came  along  and 
said  he  had  run  away.  It  seemed  strange  to  me  he 
should  flee,  if  he  indeed  had  not  been  killed.  Soon  there 
came  from  the  temple  courtyard  voices  calling,  as  though 
summoning  back  the  spirits  of  the  dying.  I  then  under- 
stood we  had  been  condemned  to  die,  but  they  had 
changed  their  mind.  Afterwards  I  was  told  the  spirits 
said  we  were  not  to  be  killed.  I  was  led  back  to  the  temple 
court,  and  again  sat  down  outside  with  little  Samuel. 
Once  more  I  heard  the  same  weird  moaning  as  when  my 
husband  was  there,  and  now  realised  it  was  a  part  of  the 
Boxer  incantations. 

'  Presently  we  were  led  away  by  a  man  and  put  in  a 
cave.     He  gave  us  a  bowl  of  water  and  went  off  with  his 


*Go  and  Hide'  173 

lantern.  In  the  darkness  I  could  nnake  out  a  pile  of 
brickwork  in  one  side  of  the  cave,  but  not  till  next 
morning  did  I  find  it  was  a  walled-in  coffin,  and  we  had 
been  sleeping  in  a  tomb.  My  baby  slept  well  through 
the  night  and  was  good,  although  he  had  no  supper  but 
a  little  cold  water,  and  had  no  cover  for  sleeping.  His 
little  quilt  was  thrown  out  of  the  temple  after  my 
husband.  I  took  off  my  own  gown  and  put  it  under  the 
baby  to  ease  the  roughness  of  the  straw  on  the  floor. 

'  It  was  so  late  in  the  morning  before  any  one  came 
to  me,  that  I  feared  some  evil  plans  against  me  and  my 
child.  Finally,  a  man  brought  me  our  little  saucepan 
and  some  flour  to  make  food  for  baby.  Our  spoon  was 
gone,  so  it  was  hard  to  feed  him.  Then  the  man  brought 
me  some  rice  and  flour  porridge.  While  I  was  eating, 
two  of  the  previous  day's  guards  came  and  told  me  to 
hurry  up,  as  I  must  start  for  Yungning  at  once.  One 
of  them  said  our  luggage  was  near  by,  and  he  brought 
me  baby's  quilt  and  hat.  The  lining  and  ribbons  of 
the  hat  had  been  torn  off,  so  it  was  useless,  and  I  had 
to  shield  the  poor  little  fellow  from  the  sun  as  well  as  I 
could  under  my  own  hat. 

'  The  men  led  me  along  some  distance,  when  suddenly 
they  cried,  "  Go  and  hide.  The  old  gentleman  is 
coming."  I  ran  as  directed  along  a  little  side-path,  and 
crouched  down  around  the  corner.  As  I  did  so  one  of 
the  men  said,  "  Humph  !  A  gentleman  indeed  ! "  The 
other  retorted  hotly,  "  Yes,  one  gentleman  is  just  as  good 
as  another."  We  could  hear  distinctly  the  sound  of 
approaching  music  ;  but  the  procession  went  off  by  some 
other  road.  I  supposed  it  was  the  general  passing; 
perhaps  searching  for  my  husband,  if  he  had  really  got 
away.  When  I  rose  up  from  concealment,  my  two  guides 
had  disappeared  ;  why,  I  do  not  know,  but  perhaps  from 


174       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

fear  of  the  Boxer  general.  So  I  was  left  alone  with 
little  Samuel.  Yet  not  alone.  Oh  no.  Had  He  not 
said  so  distinctly  to  me  yesterday,  "  Fear  not,  I  am  with 
thee  "  ?  Yes,  truly  I  had  with  me  the  presence  of  One 
who  is  "Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God,  Ever- 
lasting Father,  Prince  of  Peace."  I  could  see  only 
with  one  eye,  but  I  was  guided  by  Him  whose  eyes 
"run  to  and  fro  through  the  whole  earth,  to  show  Him- 
self strong  in  the  behalf  of  them  whose  heart  is  perfect 
toward  Him." 

'  Again  I  had  to  abandon  a  few  little  things  to  lighten 
my  burden,  but  kept  the  quilt  and  saucepan.  I  started 
on  a  little  distance,  almost  fainting  from  the  heat.  I 
came  to  a  tree  which  cast  a  shadow  by  the  roadside,  and 
sat  down  to  rest.  I  intended  to  find  out  the  road  to 
Taning,  for  we  had  heard  Mr.  Peat  and  others  were  in 
prison  there,  and  to  be  with  friends  even  in  a  prison  were 
better  than  this  awful  freedom.  There  was  a  man 
sitting  under  the  same  tree,  and  I  asked  him  to  please 
tell  me  the  way  to  Taning. 

'  Scarcely  had  I  spoken  when  a  score  or  so  of  men 
wearing  red  turbans  came  rushing  down  the  mountain 
side.  These  were  the  Boxers  we  had  heard  of  They 
gathered  in  front  of  me  as  though  ready  to  rush  at  me. 
I  sprang  up  and  started  to  flee.  They  started  after  me 
a  few  steps,  but  stopped  and  yelled  at  me  savagely  to 
be  off.  I  said,  "  Yes,  yes,  I'm  going,"  and  got  away  as 
fast  as  I  could  travel.  Well  on  in  the  afternoon  I  at 
last  got  permission  to  stop  in  the  shade  of  a  little  temple, 
where  I  rested  and  prepared  some  food  for  the  child. 
Many  women  came  round  me,  and  asked  me  a  great 
many  questions.  They  were  kind  to  my  little  one,  and 
gave  me  a  bowl  of  rice  to  eat.  They  told  me  that  at  a 
village  called  Koh-ho-k'ou,  three  miles  from  Taning,  there 


*I  met  only  Enemies'  175 

was  a  party  of  Boxers,  and  I  must  go  past  that  place 
very  carefully. 

'  I  went  on  again  till  sunset,  and  was  drawing  near 
this  village  when  I  met  an  old  man,  who  told  me  there 
were  Christians  in  a  village  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  I  was  overjoyed  at  this  news,  and  started  to  go 
across  and  find  them.  When  I  came  to  the  stream  I 
could  see  no  crossing-place,  but  called  to  a  man  who 
came  down  on  the  opposite  side  to  draw  water,  asking 
where  the  ford  was.  He  pointed  to  the  left  and  went 
away.  Before  I  could  find  a  shallow  place,  darkness 
came  on,  and  I  had  to  go  through  the  water  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  Fastening  up  my  clothes,  I  stepped  down 
into  the  water.  It  grew  deeper  as  I  went  on.  My  clothes 
came  down  and  made  it  very  hard  to  walk  in  the  swift 
current.  I  went  on  safely  till  when,  just  nearing  the 
shore,  I  suddenly  stepped  into  deep  water.  I  could  see 
the  rock  just  before  me,  and,  crying  to  God  for  help,  I 
found  strength  to  throw  the  little  bundle  on  shore,  then, 
as  the  water  was  about  sweeping  us  away,  I  felt  myself 
lifted  as  by  strong  hands  from  the  water  and  set  upon 
the  rock.  Thank  God  we  were  safe  from  the  flood, 
though  wet  to  the  skin.  I  comforted  myself  by  thinking 
of  being  soon  among  friends,  where  we  could  rest  in 
quiet. 

'  I  hurried  up  the  bank  to  the  village.  But  where  I 
hoped  to  be  received  by  friends  with  a  warm  welcome, 
I  met  only  enemies.  A  man  came  out  from  the  village 
and  angrily  threatened  to  give  us  over  to  the  Boxers  if 
we  did  not  get  away  quickly.  I  told  them  my  story, 
and  entreated  them  to  give  me  a  little  fuel  and  water  to 
make  food  for  my  babe  ;  but  they  only  jeered  at  my 
widowhood.  Finally,  they  brought  me  a  little  cold  water, 
and  all  went  away.     This  was  the  first  night  we  lodged 


176       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

under  the  open  sky.  Sometimes  before  we  had  had  no 
walls  about  us,  but  always  a  roof  over  us.  Now  there 
seemed  none  beneath  the  bright  cold  stars  to  show  us 
pity.  A  wind  sprang  up — oh,  how  cold  it  was  !  Chilled 
to  the  bone,  I  sat  there  shivering.  I  wrapped  little  Samuel 
in  his  wet  quilt  and  laid  him  on  the  ground ;  then,  com- 
mitting ourselves  to  God's  care  for  the  night,  I  sat  down 
on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  for  it  was  impossible  to 
think  of  sleeping  in  my  thin,  wet  garments. 

'  It  was  now  entirely  dark.  After  a  while  two  men 
came  along,  and  one  of  them  began  to  excuse  himself 
for  not  coming  sooner,  as  he  was  not  at  home  when  we 
came.  They  said  it  would  not  do  for  me  to  stay  there 
all  night,  and  led  me  away  to  a  cave,  where  we  could 
sleep  on  the  floor.  That  was  all  they  could  do.  They 
said  I  had  better  start  very  early  next  morning.  They 
then  left  me  with  a  "God  bless  you!"  and  I  knew  they 
were  Christians,  but  unable  to  help  me  because  of  the 
Boxers.  And  God  did  bless  me,  for,  in  spite  of  my 
wet  clothes  and  a  stone  for  a  pillow,  I  slept  soundly. 
Samuel  slept  well  too,  though  he  had  only  a  little  cold 
water  for  supper. 

*  I  awoke  early  and  started  before  daybreak,  hoping 
to  pass  Koh-ho-k'ou  before  it  was  light;  but  in  the 
darkness  I  mistook  the  way,  and  wandered  round  till 
daylight.  Then  a  young  man  led  me  over  the  river  at  a 
shallow  place,  and  cautioned  me  not  to  go  near  the 
village.  As  I  hurried  on  another  man  met  me,  and  told 
me  to  go  round  another  road,  or  the  Boxers  would  see 
me.  In  spite  of  all  my  care,  however,  a  boy  saw  me  and 
ran  to  tell  the  Boxers.  Before  I  was  many  steps  beyond 
the  village  a  crowd  of  Boxers  with  drawn  swords  and 
panting  with  running  surrounded  me.  When  I  told  them 
my  husband  had  been  killed  and  I  set  free,  they  roared, 


Kindness  of  Mr.  Wang  177 

*'  No  nonsense  ! "  and  drove  me  back  to  the  village.  But 
before  we  reached  it  a  gentleman  came  out  who 
befriended  me,  and  told  me  not  to  be  afraid,  as  I  should 
not  be  killed.  He  ordered  the  Boxers  to  stop  driving 
me,  and  told  me  to  go  into  a  temple.  I  did  so,  and  he 
brought  me  some  water  and  a  little  bread  for  Samuel. 
He  gave  his  name  as  Wang,  and  said,  as  he  gave  me  a 
pair  of  socks,"  You  will  remember  my  name  when  you 
think  of  me  by  these  socks."  He  said  I  was  to  be  sent 
home.  This  was  the  village  headman,  and  none  dared 
oppose  him. 

'  While  I  was  in  the  temple,  the  Boxers  came  to  have 
their  morning  worship  before  the  idol.  The  confusion 
as  they  prostrated  themselves,  burning  incense  and 
repeating  prayers,  was  very  great.  They  shouted  I  must 
be  driven  out  of  the  temple.  My  new  friend  appointed 
two  men  to  escort  me  safely  to  Taning.  The  Boxers 
also  accompanied  us,  and  my  two  protectors  had 
difficulty  in  keeping  them  from  attacking  me.  One  of 
them  even  carried  the  little  bundle  of  baby's  things.  At 
noon  we  entered  Taning  through  the  west  gate,  and  went 
direct  to  the  Yamen.  One  of  the  gentlemen  went  in  to 
report  to  the  official  my  arrival ;  the  other  waited  with 
me  outside,  keeping  me  from  the  Boxers,  who  were 
jumping  and  stamping  in  a  frenzy  of  rage  at  losing  their 
prey.  As  soon  as  the  official  heard  of  our  arrival,  he 
sent  the  "  Men-shang"  (secretary)  with  orders  to  put  us 
in  the  common  prison,  and  ordered  the  Boxers  to  leave, 
much  to  their  chagrin.  I  now  learned  that  the  Peat 
party  had  left  for  the  coast  only  two  days  before.  How 
I  wished  I  had  been  in  time  to  go  with  them  !  but  this 
was  God's  ordering,  for  they  were  all  killed  before  they 
got  out  of  the  province. 

*  The  prison  where  I  was  put  lay  to  one  side  of  the 
12 


178       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

large  Yamen  courtyard.  A  strong  iron-bound  wooden 
door  opened  into  a  small  courtyard  ;  alongside  of  this 
courtyard  were  two  rooms.  Both  had  earthen  floors  and 
were  very  dirty,  with  heaps  of  old  sweepings  lying  in  the 
corners.  I  was  put  in  the  smaller  of  the  two  rooms. 
The  door  opened  on  the  court,  and  when  that  was  closed 
a  little  light  came  through  a  small  hole  high  in  the  wall 
There  was  a  k'ang  in  the  room  caged  in  by  bars  reaching 
to  the  roof  and  separated  into  two  cages.  This  looked 
like  a  place  of  confinement  for  the  worst  class  of 
prisoners. 

'  There  were  two  men  in  the  prison :  one  an 
embezzler  of  1000  taels  (say  ;6^i4o)  sterling  from  the 
public  treasury ;  the  other  a  robber,  who  was  bound  with 
handcuffs  and  had  his  feet  in  a  wooden  stock.  The  large 
outer  door  of  the  prison  had  a  hole  through  the  centre 
of  it,  and  after  a  while  there  was  passed  in  to  me  through 
this  hole  fifty  cash,  some  bread,  and  half  a  water-melon  ; 
and  the  prison  keepers  spoke  kindly  to  me.  In  the 
afternoon  I  heard  the  prison  door  open,  and  was  ordered 
to  bring  out  the  boy.  Terror  seized  me  as  if  a  thunder- 
bolt had  struck  at  my  feet.  In  the  morning  I  was  told 
at  the  temple  that  all  foreign  males  were  to  be  killed 
and  women  sent  home,  and  was  advised  to  say  my 
child  was  a  girl.  But  when  they  had  asked  in  the 
Yamen  I  had  said  it  was  a  boy.  So  now  I  supposed  he 
was  to  be  killed.  But  they  told  me  I  was  only  going 
out  to  be  questioned  by  the  official. 

'  So  I  was  led  into  the  courtyard  of  the  Yamen, 
where  the  official  sat  high  on  his  judgment-seat  between 
two  lictors,  and  ordered  to  kneel.  This  not  being 
worship  but  only  humility,  I  did  so.  He  asked  me 
sternly  whence  I  came  and  how  about  my  husband.  I 
told  him  my  story,  saying  my  husband  was  killed.     He 


A  Happy  Meeting  179 

interrupted  me,  saying  my  husband  was  not  killed,  but 
had  run  away,  and  that  he  would  soon  come;  also 
saying  he  thought  it  best  to  keep  me  until  he  should 
come.  I,  of  course,  did  not  believe  this  story,  thinking 
it  was  a  way  of  getting  out  of  the  murder.  As  I  told 
my  story,  the  official  began  to  speak  in  kinder  voice  to 
me,  as  though  moved  by  pity. 

'The  examination  over,  I  was  taken  to  see  the 
secretary's  wife.  She  told  me  she  had  offered  a  reward 
for  finding  and  bringing  in  my  husband,  but  found  out 
that  a  man  had  already  been  sent  to  hunt  for  him. 
While  waiting  there,  a  message  came  that  the  official's 
wife  wished  to  see  me ;  but  when  I  was  led  in,  she  only 
stood  on  a  balcony  and  threw  down  one  hundred 
cash.  Then  we  went  back,  and  I  was  led  away  to  the 
prison. 

*0h,  how  desolate  I  felt  as  I  sat  there  with  my 
orphaned  babe  !  My  heart  was  very  heavy.  But  there 
was  little  chance  for  reflection  about  my  misery  with 
that  awful  pain  in  my  eye.  The  day  wore  slowly  away, 
and  in  the  evening  I  spread  a  mat  on  the  ground  in  the 
courtyard  for  a  bed,  as  the  k'ang  (brick  bed)  in  my 
room  was  too  full  of  vermin  for  use.  As  the  night  grew 
colder,  I  went  in  and  lay  on  the  k'ang,  where  it  was 
warmer,  though  sleep  was  impossible.  Just  as  day 
began  to  break,  I  w^as  falling  into  a  doze  when  I  seemed 
to  hear  some  one  call  my  name.  Soon  waking,  I  ran 
out  into  the  courtyard  and  looked  up  to  the  hill  over- 
shadowing the  prison.  My  heart  was  beating  wildly, 
thinking,  "  Is  it  possible  my  beloved  is  still  alive  and 
calling  down  to  me  there?"  Again  that  longed-for, 
tender  voice,  "  Olivia  !  Oh,  Olivia  1 "  But  it  came  from 
the  hole  in  the  prison  door.  I  ran  to  the  door,  and, 
looking  out,  saw  him  whom   I   mourned  as  lost,  and. 


i8o       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

flooded  with  joy,  cried,  "  Oh,  Alfred  !  are  you  really 
still  alive  ?  Praise  God,  oh,  praise  God  ! "  Speechless 
with  emotion,  he  could  only  look  at  me.  We  could  not 
even  touch  hands,  for  the  gate  was  between.  What  a 
sight  he  was  !  But  for  his  voice  I  would  scarcely  have 
known  it  was  he.  His  clothes  hung  in  tatters,  and  his 
head  was  bound  up  with  a  piece  of  lining  torn  from 
some  garment. 

'  He  was  quickly  led  away  from  the  loophole,  and  I 
could  see  some  Boxers  running  wildly  about  in  the 
Yamen  yard — had  they  seized  him  again  at  last  ?  My 
heart  sank  at  the  thought.  But  no ;  he  had  been  taken 
charge  of  by  the  Yamen  people,  and  the  official  was 
waiting  to  receive  him.  Soon  the  prison  door  was 
opened,  and  we  were  all  taken  together  to  a  fairly  good 
room  in  the  Yamen.  They  brought  me  some  water  to 
wash  his  wounds,  and  a  sort  of  powder  to  help  them  heal. 
Having  no  bandages,  I  washed  the  blood  from  his 
muslin  shirt  and  tore  it  into  strips.  What  a  sight  were 
his  wounds !  A  great  piece  of  the  scalp  hung  down 
loose ;  one  ear  was  crushed  and  swollen ;  his  neck  bore 
two  sword-gashes ;  near  the  shoulder  were  two  spear- 
cuts,  one  very  deep ;  and  all  his  back  was  red  and 
swollen  from  beating.  I  washed  and  cared  for  his 
wounds  as  well  as  I  could.  Then  I  boiled  up  some  rice 
and  mutton ;  the  secretary's  wife  also  brought  a  bowl  of 
meat  soup.  By  this  time  it  was  near  evening,  and  we 
were  very  hungry.  When  we  had  eaten  a  good  meal, 
my  husband  made  me  glad  by  saying  how  much  better 
he  felt.  With  rest  and  quiet  he  would  soon  have  been 
well.  But  that  was  impossible  in  an  open  room.  People 
came  to  see  us  in  crowds,  and  were  so  kindly  and 
sympathetic  we  had  not  heart  to  keep  them  out,  even  if 
we  had  dared  to  try. 


^Ask  your  Jesus  for  Water'       i8i 

*  When  we  had  quiet  enough  I  heard  my  husband's 
story  as  follows  : — 

* "  When  I  was  taken  into  the  temple  at  T'aochiao, 
the  Boxer  general  ordered  me  down  on  my  knees.  He 
asked  me  how  many  people  I  had  misled  and  ruined. 
I  assured  him  I  had  never  in  my  life  harmed  any  one. 
He  would  not  listen  to  such  talk,  and  had  my  hands 
bound  behind  my  back,  and  I  was  bound  to  a  block 
of  wood.  All  the  crowd  began  to  kick  and  beat  me, 
our  former  guards  taking  part.  They  heaped  the  most 
awful  curses  on  the  name  of  Jesus,  making  me  shudder 
at  their  horrible  blasphemies.  When  I  asked  them  for 
a  drink  of  water,  they  said,  '  Ask  your  Jesus  for  water.' 
When  all  hope  of  life  seemed  past,  I  asked  them  to 
let  me  see  and  speak  with  my  wife  before  I  died.  They 
said,  *  Ask  your  Jesus  whether  you  may  see  her,'  and 
brutally  kicked  me  on  the  head.  The  thought  of 
dying  without  one  more  sight  of  that  dear  face  which 
had  so  long  been  my  cheer  was  too  bitter,  and  I  sobbed 
aloud.  As  I  lay  there  bound  to  the  block,  they  said 
jeeringly,  *  Now  ask  your  Jesus  to  deliver  you.'  I 
began  fervently  praying,  '  Jesus,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do.  But  show  forth  Thy  great 
power,  that  Thy  name  may  be  glorified.' 

' "  After  a  little  they  loosed  me  from  the  block  and 
led  me  away  to  the  riverside,  my  hands  still  bound 
behind  my  back,  to  kill  me,  as  they  said.  When  we 
came  to  the  river,  they  forced  me  down  on  my  knees 
and  began  beating  me  on  all  sides  with  their  weapons. 
They  seemed  unused  to  handle  weapons,  and  so  clash- 
ing one  on  another  did  not  kill  me  at  once.  Loss  of 
blood  soon  made  me  feel  faint ;  but  I  was  so  happy ! 
The  sweetness  of  His  presence  filled  me  as  never  before. 
Cutting   and  stabbing  were   as  nothing,  and  I  felt  no 


1 82       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

pain.     To  my  inward  vision  heaven  seemed  open,  and 
one  step  would  take  me  there.     I  longed  for  deliverance. 

**'Then  came  to  me  suddenly  as  a  flash  of  lightning 
the  thought  of  my  wife  and  child.  I  asked  myself 
whether  you  were  still  alive,  and  we  should  not  die 
together.  Roused  by  the  thought,  I  suddenly  leaped 
from  the  midst  of  the  crowd  into  the  water.  Thirty 
or  forty  men  were  standing  round  me,  Boxers  and 
helpers.  Two  started  to  follow  me,  but  feared  the 
deep  water.  The  others  cried,  *  Good !  good  !  he  will 
die  in  the  water.'  I  managed  to  get  out  on  the  other 
side,  and  with  my  hands  still  bound  behind  my  back 
started  to  run  up  the  steep  hillside.  Then  there  was 
a  great  hubbub  to  follow  me ;  but  under  cover  of  dark- 
ness I  got  out  of  sight.  My  shoes  were  lost  in  the 
water,  so  I  went  on  over  the  rocks  barefoot.  After 
going  twelve  or  thirteen  miles,  I  dared  to  stop  and  free 
my  hands  by  rubbing  the  cords  on  a  stone  till  they  were 
worn  through. 

' "  By  and  by  on  the  top  of  a  mountain  I  came  to 
the  home  of  a  Christian  farmer.  They  gave  me  food 
and  drink  and  two  hundred  cash  ;  but  they  dared  not 
keep  me  in  the  house,  but  took  me  to  a  cave  to  sleep 
the  rest  of  the  night.  One  man  stayed  with  me  for 
company.  He  told  me  I  must  not  attempt  to  stay 
there,  but  go  on  very  early  in  the  morning.  This  I 
found  strength  to  do,  and  set  off  for  Yungning,  still 
wishing  to  get  home.  As  I  crossed  a  stream,  I  stopped 
to  wash  away  the  blood  which  covered  my  body  and 
clothes.  I  found  a  place  to  hide  during  the  day,  in  a 
cave,  from  which  I  could  see  the  people  running  about 
as  if  in  search  of  something.  [We  learned  later  the 
Boxers  offered  a  large  reward  for  his  head.] 

* "  After  dark  I  set  out  again  for  Yungning,  but  lost 


*I  ran  for  my  Life*  183 

the  way,  and  came  round  again  to  the  Taning  road. 
Several  times  I  was  directed  on  the  way  to  Yungning, 
but  ahvays  got  back  on  the  same  road  to  Taning. 
So  at  last  I  came  on,  and  when  nearing  the  city  heard 
my  wife  was  already  there,  so  felt  encouraged  to  keep 
on  and  if  possible  share  the  prison  with  my  family.  As 
I  was  coming  to  the  city  the  people  told  me  to  go  in 
through  the  east  gate,  which  was  nearest  the  Yamen, 
so  there  would  be  least  danger  of  discovery  by  Boxers. 
But,  with  all  my  care  to  keep  concealed,  before  I  could 
cross  the  short  distance  to  the  Yamen  some  Boxers 
discovered  me,  and  started  in  pursuit.  I  ran  for  my 
life,  and  managed  to  escape  into  the  Yamen,  where  I  was 
received  and  protected." 

*  With  mingled  joy  and  sorrow  I  heard  the  story  of 
this  marvellous  deliverance,  and  together  we  praised 
God  for  saving  v/hen  all  human  hope  of  escape  was 
gone,  and  for  bringing  us  together  again,  even  in  a 
prison. 

'  Next  day  we  were  put  in  another  room,  which  had 
no  door.  Worse  still,  there  was  hanging  in  an  inner 
room  a  green  beef  skin  which  gave  off  a  most  nauseating 
stench.  This  made  me  so  sick  during  the  night  that  I 
knew  not  how  to  face  the  coming  day.  The  plan  was  to 
send  us  in  the  morning  to  P'u  Hsien,  thirty  miles  away, 
and  then  on  to  the  coast  from  county  to  county.  We 
were  treated  by  the  Yamen  underlings  as  beggars. 
They  begrudged  us  even  a  little  water,  and  we  could 
get  no  place  to  cook  the  rice  given  us  by  the  officials. 
We  seemed  in  the  way  everywhere.  My  greatest  pain 
was  to  see  my  wounded,  suffering  husband  so  maltreated. 
But  he  endured  it  all  patiently,  and  said  frequently, 
with  a  look  of  content,  "  It  is  nothing  to  suffer  for  Jesus' 
sake." 


184       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

'  Some  people  came  to  visit  us  who  showed  by  their 
treatment  of  us  they  were  not  of  this  world.  My 
husband  asked  them  secretly  about  themselves,  and 
they  said  they  were  Christians,  but  their  own  tortures 
had  been  so  great,  and  what  they  heard  from  other  places 
so  terrible,  that  they  had  renounced  their  faith.  We  saw 
their  hearts  still  clung  to  the  people  of  God,  and  they 
rejoiced  to  help  us.  We  were  glad  to  meet  them,  and 
exhorted  them  not  to  forsake  the  Lord.  My  husband 
said,  "Poor  people!  They  are  like  sheep  without  a 
shepherd."  He  said  he  would  be  willing  to  stay  and 
gather  together  these  scattered  children  of  God.  We 
were  greatly  cheered  to  hear  how  Pastor  Ch'u,  whom  we 
both  knew,  had  stood  the  test.  Not  only  the  Boxers 
sought  his  life,  but  a  few  renegade  Christians,  who 
blamed  him  for  all  the  troubles  which  came  upon  them 
for  their  Christianity,  watched  for  him  where  they  knew 
he  was  hidden,  but  he  managed  to  elude  them  all,  and 
came  through  alive. 

'  My  husband  arrived  August  28.  On  the  morning 
of  August  30,  two  donkeys  were  brought  to  the  Yamen 
to  take  us  to  P'u  Hsien.  They  had  only  rough  wooden 
pack-saddles,  no  cushions  nor  stirrups.  In  answer  to 
prayer,  the  Lord  gave  me  strength  to  mount  and  go 
on  the  journey.  We  were  guarded  by  four  soldiers 
and  four  Boxers,  under  an  officer.  Our  hearts  misgave 
us  as  we  thought  of  again  coming  under  the  power 
of  the  Boxers.  Our  guard  all  treated  us  very 
brutally,  except  the  officer,  who  tried  to  restrain  the 
others  a  little  when  he  was  near.  My  husband  found 
the  rough,  sharp  pack-saddle  so  painful  that  he  several 
times  dismounted  and  walked  a  while.  He  was  carry- 
ing little  Samuel,  and  was  unable  to  remount  with  him 
in  his  arms.     When  he  asked  some  one  to  hold  the  baby 


Boxer  Outrages  185 

he  got  curses  for  answer — "  Throw  away  the  creature ; 
you  have  enough  to  do  to  look  out  for  yourselves."  Not 
even  the  hostler  would  touch  him,  until  my  husband  laid 
the  child  on  the  ground  and  mounted,  when  he  could  do 
no  other  but  take  it  up  and  give  it  to  him. 

'  Seven  miles  from  Taning,  when  passing  a  large 
village,  a  gang  of  Boxers  rushed  out  to  attack  us.  By 
great  efforts,  our  guard  held  them  back,  and  we  escaped. 
The  officer  shouted  at  us  to  hurry  along,  and,  gathering 
his  men  just  at  the  edge  of  the  village,  blocked  the  road 
against  the  infuriated  gang.  A  fight  began,  in  which 
several  Boxers  were  wounded,  before  they  gave  it  up 
and  went  back  to  their  temple.  I  was  told  the  people 
of  the  village  helped  the  officer  to  hold  back  the  Boxers. 
We  found  no  attention  was  being  paid  to  a  proclama- 
tion which  my  husband  read  in  Taning  Yamen.  In  this 
the  Boxers  were  ordered  to  cease  their  outrages ;  if  they 
wished  still  to  go  on  with  their  practices,  they  must  fight 
only  to  defend  themselves  and  their  followers,  but  must 
not  attack  innocent  people.  Severe  punishments  were 
threatened  for  those  who  dared  to  disobey.  Yet  they 
went  on  with  their  robbing  and  killing  just  the  same 
as  ever,  until  suppressed  by  soldiers.  No  mention  was 
made  in  the  proclamation  of  protection  for  foreigners. 

*  After  passing  the  Boxer  village,  we  went  on  our 
way  quietly.  The  road  was  bad.  We  several  times 
crossed  a  broad  mountain  stream,  and  once  when  cross- 
ing I  was  nearly  half-way  down  in  the  water,  when  the 
hostler  was  ordered  to  help  me  up.  We  did  not  reach 
P'u  Hsien  in  one  day,  but  stopped  in  a  village  five  miles 
from  there,  where  we  slept  in  a  theatre.  Next  day 
(September  i)  we  reached  P'u  Hsien  in  the  forenoon. 
The  official  received  us  kindly,  gave  us  good  Chinese 
food,  and  even  tried   to   buy  milk  for  Samuel.     Being 


1 86       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

unable  to  obtain  this,  he  bought  a  sort  of  moss  called 
"  nai-kao,"  which  rich  people  give  their  children  instead 
of  milk. 

*  He  did  not  send  us  on  that  day.  Mr.  Peat's  party 
had  passed  a  few  days  before,  and  the  officer  who 
escorted  them  on  to  P'ing-yang  had  not  yet  returned ; 
we  were  to  await  his  coming.  He  arrived  that  evening, 
and  seemed  to  have  bad  news.  Probably  the  P'ing-yang 
official  was  displeased  at  having  foreigners  sent  on  to 
him.  The  P'u  Hsien  people  were  very  kind,  and  advised 
us  to  request  permission  of  the  official  to  remain  there, 
as  no  Boxers  had  ever  lived  in  the  place.  We  had  no 
opportunity  to  do  so,  for  we  saw  no  more  of  the  official 
after  he  had  received  us. 

'  Next  morning,  September  2,  we  were  ordered  to 
prepare  for  our  return  to  Taning.  I  felt  I  must  care  for 
my  husband's  wounds ;  but  the  Boxers  who  escorted  us 
were  enraged  at  this  delay,  and  almost  broke  in  the  door 
of  our  room.  The  news  of  Mr.  Peat's  reception  in  P'ing- 
yang  seemed  to  have  renewed  their  courage;  perhaps, 
too,  they  were  angry  that  we  should  be  sent  back  to 
Taning;  at  all  events,  they  were  quite  frantic.  When 
we  came  out  to  start,  the  same  donkeys  were  waiting 
for  us,  but  the  guard  had  left.  Three  messengers  were 
appointed  by  the  P'u  Hsien  magistrate  to  go  with  us,  but 
we  saw  only  one.  We  hurried  on  to  overtake  the  guard, 
and  even  this  one  messenger  fell  out  of  sight  behind. 

'  At  noon  we  overtook  the  guard  while  they  stopped 
for  dinner.  When  the  officer  in  charge  saw  us,  he 
ordered  us  back  to  P'u  Hsien,  saying  we  could  not  go  to 
Taning  without  the  P'u  Hsien  messengers.  Even  he  had 
now  turned  brutal  towards  us,  and  forbade  our  following 
them.  They  cursed  the  hostler  for  hurrying  on  and 
leaving   the    messenger    behind.     He   got   angry,   and 


Parched  and  Hungry  187 

would  not  take  us  back.  He  was  about  to  put  down 
our  luggage— only  a  few  rags  given  us  in  Taning.  The 
guard  went  their  way  and  left  us.  We  understood  the 
messengers  were  unwilling  to  accompany  us.  In  great 
distress,  I  began  praying  to  God  for  help.  The  hostler 
was  moved  by  pity,  and  again  took  up  our  poor  baggage 
to  go  on.  It  seemed  to  me  our  only  hope  lay  in 
following  the  guard  to  Taning,  so  I  advised  my  husband 
to  run  after  them,  and  I  would  follow  with  Samuel.  I 
cried  to  God  for  help,  and  He  who  said,  "  Call  upon  Me  in 
the  day  of  trouble  ;  I  will  deliver  thee,"  proved  even  now 
His  power  to  help.  Despite  weakness  from  wounds  and 
loss  of  blood,  my  husband  ran  like  a  racer,  and  soon 
caught  up  with  the  guard.  After  much  entreaty  and 
many  rebuffs,  he  finally  got  permission  for  us  to  follow 
them,  but  we  could  not  stop  for  food.  Later  they 
allowed  us  to  gather  some  fuel  and  make  some  gruel 
for  the  baby.  He,  like  me,  was  parched  by  thirst  and 
weak  from  hunger. 

'As  we  drew  near  the  village  where  the  Boxers 
attacked  us,  the  officer  went  ahead  to  try  and  prevent  an 
outbreak.  The  Boxers  of  our  guard  said  we  could  never 
get  past  this  time.  But  the  village  people  aided  our 
officer's  efforts,  and  not  a  Boxer  appeared.  Soon  after 
this  we  had  to  cross  the  stream  where  it  was  deep.  I 
was  a  little  way  in  front,  and  crossed  the  stream  safely. 
Just  then  I  heard  the  baby  crying  most  piteously,  and 
looked  back  just  in  time  to  see  my  husband  falling  from 
his  mule  into  the  water.  He  had  been  walking,  and  the 
baby  was  still  lying  on  the  ground  where  he  had  laid  it 
to  remount.  He  had  lost  his  balance,  weak  as  he  was, 
and  in  falling  carried  our  little  roll  of  baggage  into  the 
water.  Now  it  seemed  even  the  soldiers  felt  a  sort  of 
pity,   for  they  almost  beat  the  hostler  for  carelessness. 


1 88       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

and  ordered  him  to  rescue  the  baggage,  which  was 
floating  away.  They  also  helped  my  husband  from  the 
water.  Despite  the  wet  and  the  weariness,  he  still  said 
cheerily,  "  It  does  not  matter."  He  walked  a  while  to 
dry  his  clothes,  but  the  day  was  closing,  and  he  had  to 
mount  again  and  ride  with  the  wet  baggage  under  him. 
Even  one  of  the  Boxers  looked  at  him  pityingly,  and  said, 
"  Poor  man  !  "  I  had  also  to  walk  a  while  to  escape  the 
torture  of  the  pack-saddle.  I  was  weak  from  starvation, 
exhausted  by  travelling,  and  could  only  use  one  eye,  so 
I  often  stumbled  and  sometimes  fell  on  the  rough  road. 

*  The  soldiers  now  showed  me  a  little  more  kindness, 
and  one  of  them  said,  "  She  cannot  walk  for  want  of 
food,"  and,  giving  me  some  dates  which  he  picked  from  a 
tree,  asked  when  I  had  last  eaten.  I  could  not  walk  far, 
yet  the  riding  was  so  painful  that  before  we  reached  the 
city  I  was  crying  like  a  child.  At  last  we  crossed  the 
wide  stream  for  the  last  time,  and  were  back  again  in 
Taning.  We  had  been  troubled  for  fear  we  would  not 
be  received  here  again.  But  we  were  not  only  received, 
but  given  bread  and  boiled  water,  and  allowed  to 
occupy  the  same  room  with  no  doors.  As  the  underlings 
would  not  allow  us  to  make  a  fire  to  cook  food  here,  we 
were  glad  when  permitted  to  move  into  the  prison  and 
occupy  the  small  room.  There  we  had  fire  and  water  to 
cook  the  grain  given  us.  Now  a  new  testing-time  came. 
Samuel  had  suffered  so  much  from  starvation  and  dis- 
comfort in  travelling  that  he  was  very  sick.  By  our 
third  day  in  the  prison  he  was  too  weak  to  even  cry.  It 
seemed  almost  impossible  for  the  poor,  limp  little  body 
to  recover ;  yet  we  pleaded  with  God  to  spare  him.  A 
man  came  who  offered  to  sell  us  a  can  of  condensed 
milk.  The  official  gave  us  money  to  buy  it.  We  after- 
wards bought  fresh  milk  from  a  man  who  brought  his 


*The  Horror  of  those  Hours*      189 

cow  to  us  every  day  and  let  us  milk  her  ourselves.  The 
fresh  milk  was  better  than  medicine,  and  we  praised 
God  as  we  saw  Samuel  revive  and  grow  stronger. 

'  The  official  gave  us  one  hundred  cash  and  one 
bowl  of  rice  per  day.  We  gave  the  cash  for  two  bowls 
of  milk  for  baby,  and  got  on  as  well  as  we  could 
with  the  rice  for  ourselves.  We  were  hoping  the 
end  of  our  distresses  was  near ;  but  not  so.  The  first 
days  after  our  return  to  Taning  my  second  eye  began  to 
swell  and  ache.  I  sat  there  night  and  day  helpless 
and  suffering.  My  poor  weak  husband  soon  collapsed 
entirely  from  the  overwork,  and  lay  there  in  a  high 
fever.  I  had  to  care  for  him  as  well  as  I  could  ;  but  I 
had  only  a  little  sight  left  in  one  eye,  and  could  do  little 
for  him  and  the  helpless  little  babe.  He  finally  began 
to  grow  delirious  or  something — what  shall  I  call  it? 
He  acted  as  though  out  of  his  mind,  and  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  keep  him  quiet.  Once  in  the  night 
he  was  haunted  by  the  belief  we  were  being  chased  by 
men  who  wanted  to  kill  us.  He  caught  up  the  baby 
and  wanted  to  flee.  I  had  to  call  in  the  help  of  the  other 
prisoners.  We  spread  the  old  bedding  given  us  by  the 
official  on  the  vile  brick  bed,  and,  after  binding  his 
hands,  tied  him  down  on  the  bed.  How  the  sight  of  it 
cut  me  to  the  heart ! 

*  God  only  knows  the  horror  and  misery  of  those 
hours.  We  had  been  hoping  there  would  be  a  turn  for  the 
better,  but  matters  only  got  worse.  Here  lay  my  poor 
delirious  husband,  who  had  so  lately  been  strong  and 
cheerful ;  there  our  baby,  the  picture  of  health  and  ad- 
miration of  all  when  we  left  home,  now  a  mere  living 
skeleton,  lay  with  his  little  head  rolling  down  limply  on 
his  shoulder  ;  and  I — well  for  me  I  could  not  see  my  own 
face,  and   surely   there   would  be   little  comfort  in  the 


I90       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

sight.  My  bitter  cup  of  suffering  was  now  full  almost 
to  running  over.  After  that  awful  night  my  husband 
seemed  to  get  a  little  better.  I  rejoiced  to  be  able  to 
loose  his  bonds,  and  in  a  few  days  we  could  join  in 
prayer  and  take  sweet  counsel  together  from  my  precious 
treasure,  the  Bible  ;  my  eyes  began  to  grow  better,  and 
the  baby  too  kept  improving.  How  we  prayed — I  alone, 
or  when  my  husband's  mind  was  clear  enough  both 
together — that  God  would  end  our  sufferings  and  bring 
us  once  more  among  our  friends.  Now  we  longed  for 
peace  as  earnestly  as  when  hidden  in  the  caves  of  Shen- 
si  we  longed  for  the  roar  of  foreign  guns. 

*  I  was  now  buying  only  one  bowl  of  milk  per  day, 
and  used  the  other  fifty  cash  to  buy  meat  for  my 
husband's  dinner.  The  jailor  scolded  me  for  spending 
my  money  for  meat.  The  official  also  cautioned  me 
several  times  against  wasting  money.  I  longed  for  some 
more  nutritious  food  for  my  husband  in  his  weakness. 
Once  he  looked  so  longingly  at  baby's  milk,  and  asked 
to  taste  it.  But  though  I  wished  to  give  him  milk,  we 
could  afford  only  one  bowl  a  day  to  keep  Samuel  alive. 
If  I  had  suspected  how  near  his  end  my  husband  was,  I 
would  have  gone,  at  the  risk  of  my  life,  to  the  official 
and  begged  him  to  help  me  get  more  suitable  food,  and 
if  possible  save  the  poor  flickering  life.  As  it  was,  I 
began  giving  part  of  our  rice  for  a  little  more  milk  to 
give  my  husband.  This  meant  robbing  myself  of 
needed  food.  Still  another  blow  came  upon  us  when 
the  official,  hearing  the  use  I  was  making  of  the  rice, 
stopped  giving  it,  and  we  had  only  the  one  hundred  cash 
per  day  to  feed  three  of  us.  A  few  days  later  our 
milkman  disappeared,  as  the  official  had  told  him  not 
to  come.  The  prison  den  became  intolerable  to  me. 
Harder  than  all  the  weariness  and  starvation  for  me  to 


The  Power  of  Prayer  191 

bear  were  the  filth  and  the  vermin.  Only  those  who 
have  been  through  it  know  the  torture  of  these  swarms 
of  creeping,  biting  vermin.  And  the  sight  of  them, 
adding  to  the  tortures  of  my  helpless,  suffering  dear  ones, 
was  horrible  to  me.  The  sight  of  them  in  such  a  con- 
dition, and  I  with  no  chance  to  care  for  them  in  a  clean, 
cheerful  place,  brought  scalding  tears  to  my  eyes.  But 
I  sought  and  found  comfort  from  God  in  prayer.  What 
rest  of  soul,  when  for  a  few  moments  I  could  close  my 
eyes  to  the  miseries  which  surrounded  me,  and  look  up 
to  the  "  God  of  all  comfort !  " 

'*  From  every  stormy  wind  that  blows, 
From  every  swelling  tide  of  woes, 
There  is  a  calm,  a  sure  retreat — 
'Tis  found  beneath  the  mercy-seat." 

'  Whatever  might  be  denied  me,  no  one  could  deny 
me  the  precious  privilege  of  prayer  ;  and  if  it  had  been 
possible  to  deny  it,  I  should  have  prayed  on  still.  One 
of  the  gentlemen  in  the  Yamen  asked  me  once  whether 
we  still  prayed  in  prison.  I  said  we  did.  He  asked 
what  use  there  was  in  it,  and  other  similar  brutal 
questions.  I  explained  as  well  as  possible  the  blessing 
and  glory  of  being  a  child  of  God,  even  the  poorest. 
He  then  asked  whether  we  were  willing  to  give  up  our 
religion  and  accept  theirs,  or  whether  we  were  deter- 
mined to  cling  to  our  faith  at  any  cost  and  on  any 
conditions.  I  told  him  we  had  come  to  China  because 
we  loved  their  souls  and  could  not  see  them  perish.  At 
my  simple  assurance  of  the  peace  of  those  who  have  the 
comfort  of  God's  loving  presence,  he  seemed  much 
impressed  and  listened  respectfully.  That  we,  poor, 
suffering,  abused  even  by  fellow-prisoners,  all  for  the  sake 
of  our  faith,  would  still  hold  to  that  faith,  seemed  to 
surprise  him. 


192       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

'  When  my  husband  grew  strong  enough  to  talk 
intelligently,  we  spoke  together  of  our  thankfulness  to 
the  Lord  for  the  experiences  of  His  goodness  He  had 
given  us  through  suffering.  We  saw  it  as  a  part  of  His 
training  for  us.  We  had  often  sung,  "  Give  me  a  greater, 
higher,  more  perfect  faith  in  Thee."  My  prayer  for  some 
time  had  been,  "  Lord,  use  what  means  Thou  wilt,  but 
make  me  ready  for  Thy  coming." 

'  He  had  taken  us  at  our  word.  Now  I  wished  only 
for  Him  to  carry  out  His  purpose  with  me.  After 
sharing  in  the  distresses  of  the  poor  in  China,  though 
only  in  temporal  affairs,  I  can  more  fully  sympathise 
with  them  and  pray  for  blessings  upon  them. 

'  One  night  we  were  awakened  by  loud  voices  and 
alarms  outside  the  Yamen.  In  the  morning  we  were 
told  that  a  party  of  Roman  Catholics  had  passed  in  the 
night.  They  said  they  had  met  us  in  Lung-wang-chan, 
where  we  left  the  boat,  and  my  husband  had  given  them 
poison  to  put  in  the  water  at  some  places.  Now  they 
wanted  to  see  him  to  get  some  money  for  travelling 
expenses.  The  Yamen  underlings  sent  them  off  with 
the  assurance  we  had  no  money  to  give  them. 

*  We  heard  the  "  Yeh  men "  (head  gatekeeper)  of 
Sih-chow,  only  one  day's  journey  away,  had  been  killed 
by  Boxers,  and  the  official  had  escaped  to  Shih-k'ou, 
where  there  were  said  to  be  one  thousand  Boxers.  There 
he  had  to  promise  400  taels  (say  £60  sterling)  ransom 
money.  But  a  few  days  later  three  hundred  soldiers 
arrived  at  Sih-chow,  sent  from  P'ing-yang-fu,  to  put  down 
the  Boxers.  Some  they  killed,  imprisoned  some,  and 
scattered  the  rest.  Orders  came  to  Captain  Li,  who 
commanded  the  soldiers,  to  escort  the  foreigners  in 
Taning  to  P'ing-yang,  as  they  were  to  be  sent  to  the 
coast.       Orders  seemed  to  have  been  received  to  protect 


THE    SI 

CHAU   MARTYRS. 

MRS.    PEAT. 

\V.   G.    PEAT. 

E.    L.    UOBSOX. 

E.    G.    HURX. 

[Sec  p.  76, 


Return  to  Ping-yang  193 

us,  for  the  Yamen  people  went  hurriedly  to  provide  us 
with  new  clothes.  Several  straw  mats  were  also  spread 
on  our  k'ang  to  make  us  a  more  comfortable  bed.  Our 
jailor  seemed  to  think  Vv'e  were  getting  too  much  luxury, 
so  he  dragged  away  one  mat  and  spread  it  to  prostrate 
himself  on  when  worshipping  his  idol.  When  he  got 
through  his  worship  I  dragged  the  mat  back  again.  A 
fellow-prisoner,  who  had  once  been  employed  in  Yamen 
service,  and  so  lorded  it  over  the  other  prisoners,  rebuked 
me  for  offending  the  idol.  Plenty  of  food  was  also 
given  us,  and  more  promised  whenever  we  needed  it. 
A  few  days  longer  of  this  better  treatment  would  have 
strengthened  my  husband  for  the  journey  to  P'ing-yang, 
but  it  lasted  only  two  days. 

'  On  October  4,  Captain  Li  arrived  with  about  ten 
soldiers.  My  husband,  who  had  been  able  to  be  up 
for  a  couple  of  days,  was  called  in  to  see  the  official. 
He  still  had  a  wish  to  go  back  to  Yungning  and  go 
on  with  our  work  as  soon  as  possible.  They  soon  came 
for  me  also  to  go  and  see  the  official,  perhaps  seeing 
my  husband  was  not  very  fit  to  decide  our  course.  I 
told  them  I  thought  it  best  to  get  to  the  coast  as 
quickly  as  possible.  They  promised  to  have  us  taken 
on  from  P'ing-yang  at  the  earliest  opportunity  after  our 
arrival  there.  So  we  made  ready  to  start  next  morning. 
My  husband  was  so  patient  and  uncomplaining  that 
I  did  not  realise  how  weak  he  was.  Had  I  known  it, 
I  should  have  chosen  to  remain  where  we  were,  poor 
as  our  position  was. 

'  On  October  5  we  started  from  P'ing-yang.  My 
husband  and  baby  were  carried  in  a  sedan  chair ;  I 
rode  on  horseback.  We  were  well  cared  for  by  our 
guard.  One  of  the  soldiers  asked  me  whether  we  were 
acquainted  with  the  Governor,  that  he  should  give  such 
13 


194       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

strict  orders  about  caring  for  us.  On  October  6  we 
reached  P'u  Hsien.  Our  passage  was  to  be  provided 
by  each  official  along  the  way  on  to  the  next  one.  At 
P'u  Hsien  we  were  furnished  with  a  "  chia  wu,"  or  rude 
litter,  carried  by  two  mules,  and  we  went  to  P'ing-yang, 
two  days'  journey,  in  it.  As  we  heard  the  Empress 
was  soon  to  pass  P'ing-yang  on  her  way  to  Hsi-an, 
Captain  Li  advised  us  to  stop  in  a  village  four  miles 
from  the  city  until  after  she  had  passed,  fearing  trouble 
if  we  were  in  the  city.  So  we  stopped  in  the  village 
temple  until  October  12.  We  could  get  nothing  but  the 
coarsest  food  there,  and  my  husband's  stomach  revolted 
from  it.  He  was  growing  very  weak,  when,  on  October  1 2, 
they  brought  a  large  sedan  chair  for  him.  We  crossed 
the  river  by  a  ferry,  and  were  taken  to  the  city  in  a  cart. 
*We  went  direct  to  the  Hsien  Yamen,  and  I  was 
told  to  go  in  and  see  the  official.  When  I  entered,  he 
and  Captain  Li,  who  had  gone  on  ahead  of  us,  rose  to 
receive  me.  Such  courtesy  after  our  usual  treatment 
quite  embarrassed  me.  The  official  told  me  we  could 
go  and  live  at  the  lady  missionaries'  house,  and  some 
of  the  foreigners'  former  servants  would  attend  us. 
He  also  promised  to  supply  all  our  needs — of  course 
according  to  his  ideas  of  our  needs  ;  and  told  me  that 
money  had  been  sent  to  us  from  Hsi-an.  When  I  went 
out  they  both  followed  me  politely  to  the  cart,  where 
my  husband  was  waiting  with  Samuel,  too  weak  to 
walk.  Then  we  were  driven  to  the  mission-house.  It 
was  uninhabitable.  Doors,  windows,  and  ceilings  were 
gone,  and  the  fireplaces  torn  down.  But  in  the  back 
courtyard  was  a  small  house  which  had  been  used  as 
a  school,  in  which  we  found  one  room  where  we  could 
stay.  It  was  small  and  close,  especially  when  used  as 
both  kitchen  and  bedroom, 


Death  of  Mr.  Ogren  195 

*We  now  heard  that  seventeen  Shan-si  missionaries, 
among   them   our   superintendent,   his  wife   and   some 
ladies,  had  escaped  to  Shanghai.     This  was  joyful  news 
to   us  ;  for  during   all  these  months   we   had  heard  of 
murdered   missionaries    and  ruined   stations.     We   had 
come  to  think  the  whole  of  Shan-si  had  become  a  death- 
trap, and  every  tongue  which  sang  praise  to  God  and 
witnessed  to  the  Chinese  of  His  saving  love  was  silent 
in  the   dust,  and   we   alone   left.     A   few   days   before 
leaving   Taning,  we  heard   there   were   foreigners   also 
in  Hungtung  and  Ch'u-wu,  but  we  disbelieved  it.     The 
report  said  we  should  all  meet  in  P'ing-yang   and    go 
together  to  the  coast.     It  proved  true  that  Mr.  M'Kie, 
Miss  Chapman,  and  Miss  Way  of  our  Mission  had  been 
hidden  in   the  mountains  of  Shan-si,  where   the  storm 
of  death  raged  fiercest,  and  were  still  safe  in  Ch'u-wu. 
We   learned   that   the    foreigners    in    Hungtung   were 
Roman    Catholics,   four   in   number.      We    heard    our 
friends  in  Ch'u-wu  were  not  willing  to  come  to  P'ing- 
yang.     So  Captain  Li  asked  me  to  write  them  a  letter, 
and   send   it  with   some   soldiers  to  escort   them  over, 
telling   them   to   come  with   the  soldiers   and  have  no 
fear. 

'During  the  night  of  October  14,  two  days  after 
we  arrived  in  P'ing-yang,  my  husband  was  very  low. 
I  could  not  sleep  much  for  anxiety,  and  yet  was  too 
tired  to  stay  up.  I  rose  several  times  to  care  for  him 
when  he  called  me.  Towards  morning  he  asked  me 
to  feel  his  pulse,  and  I  found  it  very  slow.  This  seemed 
a  sign  the  fever  had  left  him,  and  thinking  no  more 
of  it  I  fell  asleep.  When  I  woke  in  the  morning,  he 
was  lying  as  though  heedless  of  his  surroundings  and 
wanting  nothing.  1  prepared  some  condensed  milk  for 
him,  and  the  cook  went  over  to  the  bed  to  give  it  to  him, 


196       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

but  said  quickly,  '*  He  cannot  take  it."  1  began  giving 
it  to  him  with  a  spoon,  but  he  raised  his  head  and 
drank  the  milk,  then  fell  back,  and  a  pallor  overspread 
his  face.  A  terrible  fear  seized  me,  and  I  seemed  to 
almost  lose  my  senses.  While  I  was  praying,  a  change 
came  over  him.  He  grew  warmer,  and  the  colour  came 
back  to  his  face.  I  thought  he  was  better,  and  might 
yet  be  spared.  He  fell  into  a  deep,  calm  sleep,  and  I 
sat  beside  him,  keeping  away  the  insects  which  troubled 
him.  I  had  staying  with  me  a  young  widow  whose 
husband  was  killed  in  the  recent  troubles.  She  came 
in  with  Samuel  crying  in  her  arms.  I  did  not  want 
the  crying  to  disturb  my  suffering  husband,  so  asked 
her  to  take  my  place  by  the  bed  while  I  should  comfort 
the  child.  Presently  I  heard  a  faint  sound  from  the 
bed,  and  asked,  "What  is  that?  "  "  It  is  nothing,"  she 
said,  though  she  must  have  seen  a  change  come  over 
his  face.  A  few  minutes  later  I  rose  and  went  over  to 
his  side.  A  single  look  showed  me  the  truth.  The 
weary,  suffering  pilgrim  had  gone  into  the  presence  of 
the  King  to  receive  the  martyr's  crown. 

'What  this  meant  to  me  I  do  not  attempt  to 
describe.  No  human  words  are  full  enough  of  sadness 
to  tell  the  awful  loneliness  I  felt.  No  tears  were  bitter 
enough  to  ease  my  aching  heart.  The  storm  of  grief 
overwhelmed  me  till  God  gave  me  comfort.  When  I 
had  calmed  down  a  little,  I  prepared  to  wash  and  dress 
his  poor  body.  I  w^ondered  at  the  marvellous  change 
that  had  come  over  his  face.  He  had  looked  so 
haggard  and  drawn  before ;  but  now  his  features  were 
relaxed,  and  a  look  of  quiet,  peaceful  happiness  filled 
his  face.  All  the  pain,  all  the  suffering,  all  the  loss 
were  gone  for  ever,  and  only  joy  remained.  He  seemed 
to  me  to  look  just  as  though  ready  to  go  in  to  a  feast 


Burial  of  Mr.  Ogren  i97 

amon?  friends.  Looking  on  that  calm  peaceful  face, 
I  could  almost  hear  in  seraphic  tones,  "O  death,  where 
is  thy  sting?     O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory? 

'The  cook  helped  me  prepare  the  body  for  bunal. 
But  here  was  only  the  scarred  remnant  of  what  his  body 
had  been.     Starvation  had  worn  him  to  mere  skin  and 
bone      I  do  not  know  how  many  bed-sores  he  had  ;  and 
one  deep  spear  wound  had  not  yet  healed.     There  was  a 
sort  of  poor  comfort  in  thinking  that  body  would  never 
again   suffer  torture   at   the   hands   of  Boxers      Even 
though  I  might  yet  have  to  die  by  them  I  should  be 
spared  seeing  my  beloved  husband  tortured.     As  for  our 
little  Samuel,  we  had  often  prayed  that  if  we  were  to  die 
by  the  Boxers  he  might  be  taken  home  first ;  and  when 
he   was   still   spared   to  us  we  drew  comfort  from  the 
hope  of  yet  escaping. 

'  I  sent  word  to  the  official  of  what  had  happened. 
Captain  Li  came  to  see  me,  and  tried  to  comfort  me. 
So    did    the    soldiers    and     Christians.       But    human 
sympathy  does  not  go  far  at  such  times.     God  wonder- 
fully comforted  me,  and  to  my  heart  came  with  power 
these  words,  heard  long  ago  outside  the  gate  of  Mam, 
"  Weep  not."     I  felt  the  truth  of  the  song  : 
"Lonely?    No,  not  lonely, 
When  Jesus  standeth  nigh ; 
His  presence  fills  my  chamber, 
I  know  that  He  is  nigh." 

'  We  bought  a  coffin  the  same  evening,  and  the  next 
morning  we  took  the  remains  outside  the  city  to  a  place 
where  the  bodies  of  strangers  are  deposited  till  they  can 
be  removed  to  their  native  places.  I  thought  if  I  should 
return  I  would  have  the  remains  taken  to  T'ai-yuan  for 
burial,  beside  our  little  son  who  sleeps  there  "  till  Jesus 
comes." 


198       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

*  After  my  husband's  death  I  was  much  occupied 
caring  for  my  Httle  Samuel,  who  was  very  ill,  and  seemed 
about  to  be  taken  from  me.  But  with  the  money  sent 
me  from  Hsi-an  I  bought  a  cow,  and  the  fresh  milk  soon 
revived  him,  and  he  grew  fat  and  well. 

*  October  24. — I  had  the  glad  surprise  of  meeting  Mr. 
M'Kie,  Miss  Chapman,  and  Miss  Way,  who  came  from 
Ch'u-wu.  This  was  a  great  comfort  in  my  loneliness. 
I  could  not  speak  as  I  pressed  their  hands,  and  their 
faces  spoke  deep  sympathy  with  me.  I  was  very  weak, 
and  gladly  gave  over  the  housekeeping  to  Miss 
Chapman.  Miss  Way  took  charge  of  my  little  boy, 
and  with  sisterly  love  helped  me  night  and  day 
unsparingly,  until  at  last  we  were  safely  in  Hankow.  I 
rejoice  to  think  of  her  reward,  promised  to  those  who 
"  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these." 

*  The  long,  trying  journey  to  Hankow  had  to  be 
deferred  because  I  was  unfit  to  travel.  We  removed 
to  Dr.  Wilson's  house,  and  arranged  to  borrow  60  taels 
(say  ^10)  per  month  from  the  official.  Secretary  Ch'ien 
went  security  for  us.  He  also  helped  us  to  send  letters 
to  the  coast,  by  enclosing  them  with  a  letter  to  his  son 
in  Chefoo  in  a  large  official  envelope.  In  this  way  they 
were  safe. 

'  It  was  unsettled  times  in  P'ing-yang.  Bodies  of 
troops  were  constantly  passing  either  toward  T'ai-yuan 
or  westward  to  join  the  Imperial  forces  in  Hsi-an. 
Once  a  party  of  them  tried  to  enter  our  premises,  but 
were  checked  by  the  officials.  Another  time  we  were 
much  alarmed  to  hear  that  Yii  Hsien,  the  notorious  anti- 
foreign  Governor  of  Shan-si,  was  coming  to  the  city. 
Some  said  he  had  been  deposed,  some  said  he  was  still 
Governor ;  but  we  agreed  to  fear  the  worst  as  long  as  he 
had  any  power.     The  officials  went  out  to  meet  him,  and 


Boxer  Power  Broken  199 

even  our  guard  was  called  away  to  go.  We  sat  there 
looking  at  one  another  in  bewilderment.  We  felt  there 
was  no  rest  for  us  until  that  man  was  gone.  Suddenly 
some  one  ran  in  with  a  visiting  card.  We  were  frightened, 
thinking  our  hour  had  come.  A  strange  official  was  wait- 
ing in  the  outer  courtyard  wishing  to  see  us.  I  thought, 
"  It  is  the  Governor."  But,  looking  at  the  card,  I  saw  the 
name  Tsen.  He  proved  to  be  a  deputy  sent  from  T'ai- 
yuan.  When  he  came  in  with  Captain  Li  we  were  still 
anxious,  for  we  did  not  expect  any  good  designs  upon  us 
from  T'ai-yuan.  But  he  explained  he  had  been  sent  to 
learn  who  we  were,  and  guard  us  safely  to  the  coast  as 
soon  as  possible.  This  put  us  more  at  ease.  Next  day 
Governor  Yii  arrived,  but  went  on  his  way  toward 
Hsi-an.  He  was  reported  to  have  said  he  would  take 
the  first  opportunity  to  complete  the  work  he  had  begun 
of  exterminating  foreigners.  We  did  not  yet  know  how 
the  outrages  had  been  checked  by  outside  nations,  but  we 
knew  the  power  of  the  Boxers  was  broken.  It  seemed 
marvellous  that  there  were  still  alive  in  Shan-si  four 
missionaries,  after  all  that  had  happened. 

'  On  December  6  the  Lord  gave  me  a  little  daughter, 
sound  in  body  and  mind  ;  which  was  another  of  God's 
great  mercies,  seeing  what  I  had  passed  through. 
Secretary  Ch'ien's  wife  now  visited  me  often,  and  showed 
much  sympathy.  We  sent  a  messenger  to  Yungning 
with  a  letter  asking  the  official  to  send  me  some  of  my 
boxes.  Just  before  we  left  P'ing-yang,  the  messenger 
returned  with  some  boxes,  and  a  very  cordial  letter  of 
sympathy  from  the  official.  He  asked  what  he  Vv-as  to 
do  with  the  rest  of  my  property.  He  also  sent  a  letter 
to  Secretary  Ch'ien,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  and 
told  him  how  much  he  had  valued  my  husband.  After 
this   the   secretary   visited    me,  and    showed    us    more 


200       In  the  Hands  of  the  Boxers 

attention  than  ever.  He  brought  his  ten  -  year  -  old 
daughter,  a  bright  and  beautiful  girl,  and  told  me  she 
should  be  my  daughter, — a  polite  expression.  He 
ordered  her  to  salute  me,  which  she  did  most  gracefully. 
Thereafter  she  always  called  me  mamma. 

'On  January  6  we  started  for  Hankow.  One 
hundred  foot-soldiers  and  sixteen  cavalry,  under  two 
officers,  went  with  us  as  far  as  Huai-ch'ing-fu  in  Honan. 
Fifty  of  the  foot-soldiers  and  one  officer  returned  from 
there  on  January  i8.  We  went  on  through  Honan  and 
Hupeh.  The  soldiers  were  very  kind  and  helpful  to 
us,  and  showed  especial  interest  in  Samuel.  The  long 
journey  was  very  tiring.  There  was  much  severe  cold, 
but  the  Lord  kept  us  safely  all  the  way.  At  last  we 
came  in  sight  of  foreign  houses  and  a  railway.  It  seemed 
like  entering  a  new  world.  But  we  still  had  several 
days'  journey.  Two  days  from  Hankow  we  met  three 
missionaries,  Messrs.  Jones,  Ridley,  and  Robinson,  who 
had  come  to  meet  us  as  soon  as  a  telegram  reached  them 
telling  where  we  were.  They  had  proposed  coming  all 
the  way  to  P'ing-yang  to  meet  us,  but  the  officials  dis- 
approved. They  had  baskets  of  food  and  things  for 
spreading  a  table  ;  but  worth  more  than  all  this  was  the 
opportunity  of  prayer  and  praise  to  God,  and  the  warm 
welcome  which  they  brought.  Two  other  missionaries 
had  gone  three  weeks'  journey  by  boat  up  the  Han  River 
to  meet  us,  but  we  did  not  come  that  way. 

*  A  great  company  of  missionaries  came  to  welcome 
us  when  we  arrived  in  Hankow  on  February  i6,  and  to 
see  the  strange  conveyances  and  weather-beaten  guard 
that  had  brought  us  out  of  the  land  of  death.  We  were 
overwhelmed  with  love,  sympathy,  and  kindness.  Mr. 
M'Kie  and  Miss  Chapman  went  on  to  Shanghai,  but  I 
waited  with  Miss  Way  for  the  return  of  Messrs.  Gould 


Arrival  at  Shanghai  201 

and  Harding,  who  had  gone  up  the  river  to  meet  us 
with  supplies.  February  25,  we  took  steamer.  As  we 
passed  Wuhu  and  Chinkiang,  friends  came  to  meet  us  and 
extend  a  welcome.  February  28,  we  arrived  in  Shanghai, 
and  met  a  most  hearty  reception.  Though  among  those 
we  had  not  before  known,  we  were  really  among  friends. 
It  was  most  touching  to  see  the  generosity  of  friends  in 
England,  who  "^have  contributed  so  abundantly  to  the 
losses  of  those  who  had  lost  their  all.  The  needs  of  both 
myself  and  my  little  ones  have  been  largely  supplied  by 
these  gifts,  with  those  of  other  kind  friends.  The  Lord 
will  reward  all  such  service  done  in  love  for  His  name. 

'  Thus  far  on  my  pilgrim  w^ay,  after  all  the  Lord  has 
given  me  to  bear,  I  can  say  from  my  heart : 

'  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  me"  ;  and  the  song 
of  my  soul  is  : 

' "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ;  and  all  that  is  within 
me,  bless  His  holy  name." ' 


CHAPTER    XIII 

The  Flight  from  Honan 

i.  the  canadian  presbyterian  missionaries 

The  escape  of  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  missionaries 
from  Honan  is  thus  described  by  the  Rev.  J.  Goforth, 
who  was  one  of  the  party,and  himself  suffered  severely : — 

*  All  was  quite  peaceable  in  the  city  of  Cheng-te-fu 
when  we  left  on  June  28,  1900,  but  there  were  rumours 
of  fighting  in  the  north.  We  had  official  protection, 
and  the  officers  seemed  desirous  of  aiding  us.  We  were 
told,  though,  that  if  the  Boxers  came  our  safety  could 
not  be  guaranteed,  willing  as  they  were  to  do  so.  It 
was  just  at  this  time  that  the  British  Consul  at  Tien-tsin 
advised  us  to  go  to  Chi-nan-fu,  the  capital  of  Shantung, 
as  we  could  get  by  that  route  via  canal  to  a  steamer  at 
the  coast,  which  was  chartered  to  take  off  missionary 
refugees. 

'  As  soon  as  we  heard  that,  we  asked  the  prefect  to 
let  us  have  an  escort.  He  treated  us  very  discourteously, 
leaving  us  waiting  in  an  outer  room,  and  would  not 
receive  us.  There  were  crowds  of  natives  outside  jeering 
at  us.  Only  the  gatekeeper  showed  a  friendly  disposi- 
tion, taking  our  message  in  to  the  prefect.  He  came  back 
saying  the  prefect  refused  to  do  anything  for  us.  We 
told  him  we  knew  the  Treaties,  and  that  he  must  grant 


Divide  into  Two  Parties  203 

us  an  escort,  and  send  word  to  the  next  district  that 
night  that  we  were  coming.  When  leaving,  I  said,  "  The 
Foreign  Powers  have  seized  Taku,  and  a  settlement  of 
this  trouble  must  come." 

*  Next  day  he  sent  over,  saying  we  could  have  all  we 
wanted,  but  that  the  carters  would  not  go  to  the  north- 
east {i.e.  the  direction  of  Chi-nan-fu,  Shantung).  "If 
you  go  to  the  south,"  he  said,  "  I  will  give  you  a  good 
escort,  but  only  to  Fan-ch'eng ;  I  can  only  send  word 
from  place  to  place."  He  sent  soldiers  and  deputies  to 
Wei  Hsien-fu,  and  but  for  them  we  should  have  had  a  hard 
time.  When  stopping  at  an  inn  after  the  deputies  left, 
the  natives  threw  stones  over  the  walls  into  the  inn  yard. 

'  We  got  soldiers  and  deputies  from  Wei-hsien-fu,  and 
from  there  to  the  south  of  the  Yellow  River  we  had 
perfect  peace.  At  the  Yellow  River  we  met  Messrs. 
Jamieson,  Reed,  and  Fisher,  engineers  working  in  Honan 
for  the  Peking  Syndicate,  and  we  had  the  benefit  of 
their  escort ;  otherwise  things  would  have  gone  hard 
with  us.  This  was  now  the  ist  of  July.  We  travelled 
together,  and  reached  Nan-yang  prefecture  safely.  Mr. 
Jamieson  and  his  party  were  anxious  for  the  safety  of 
all  of  us,  and  as  they  had  not  sufficient  force  to  protect 
us  all,  Mr.  Jamieson  said  he  had  heard  that  the  district 
was  disturbed,  and  that  he  would  try  to  make  for  Nan- 
yang-fu  in  the  night.  We  were  to  stay  at  Hsin-tien,  a 
market  town  about  ten  miles  from  Nan-yang-fu.  He 
would  go  on  to  Nan-yang-fu,  the  prefectural  city,  and 
get  troops  to  guard  both  parties. 

'  We  decided  to  divide  our  party,  each  taking  separate 
roads.  These  parties  consisted  of  Messrs.  Slimmon 
and  Mitchell  and  their  families,  who  went  with  the 
engineers,  and  got  through  in  safety.  The  other  party 
consisted   of  Messrs.    Goforth,   Mackenzie,  Leslie,  with 


204  The  Flight  from  Honan 

their  families,  the  Messrs.  M'Intosh,  Douw,  and  Pyke. 
Mr.  Jamieson  divided  his  escort  to  help  us,  and  said  he 
would  get  another  for  us.  In  this  Mr.  Jamieson  failed, 
the  prefect  saying  that  China  was  at  war  with  other 
countries,  and  could  have  nothing  to  do  with  any  of  us. 
We  only  heard  this  next  morning.  About  two  hours 
after  our  arrival  on  the  evening  of  July  7,  our  innkeeper 
brought  word  that  there  were  seventy  armed  men  coming 
to  take  the  inn  and  all  we  had.  These  men  asked  for 
money,  and  were  refused.  We  sent  to  the  local  magis- 
trate a  message,  to  the  effect  that  we  held  him  respon- 
sible for  us  that  night.  We  barricaded  the  inn  gates 
with  carts  and  all  sorts  of  things,  and  collected  stones 
etc.,  for  our  defence  inside  the  yard. 

'  All  passed  quietly  that  night.  Our  messenger  came 
back  from  the  prefecture,  saying  Mr.  Jamieson  had  had 
no  success  there,  and  we  should  have  to  make  our  way 
as  he  had  done  ;  there  was  no  hope  of  help  from  him. 
Our  carters  refused  to  go  on  until  we  gauranteed  to  pay 
them  for  all  their  losses.  This  delayed  our  start  till  8.30 
a.m.  Then  the  mayor  of  the  town  ordered  us  to  go,  say- 
ing he  would  send  an  armed  escort  to  take  us  ten  miles 
on  our  way.  He  knew  he  was  sending  us  into  a  trap,  and 
showed  his  duplicity  very  clearly.  When  we  started, 
the  streets  were  crowded  with  people,  and  the  walls  of 
the  city  were  swarming  with  them.  Outside  the  south 
gate  there  seemed  to  be  ten  thousand  of  them.  Pre- 
sently we  saw  two  bands  of  several  hundreds,  armed 
with  swords,  spears,  and  guns,  one  lot  standing  in  a 
body  waiting  for  us,  and  the  other  lot  along  the  wall, 
ready  to  attack  us  in  the  rear.  There  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  go  on,  our  little  band  consisting  of  five  men, 
six  women,  and  five  children,  sixteen  in  all.  We  had 
only  three   revolvers   amongst   us.      The  whole   crowd 


Attacked  by  a  Mob  205 

came  on  us  with  a  rush.  They  began  pelting  stones  at 
our  covered  carts,  but  fortunately  we  had  them  lined 
and  covered  with  rugs,  on  account  of  the  heat,  and  none 
of  the  missiles  came  through.  Failing  in  this,  they  cut 
our  animals  across  the  back  with  swords,  and  when  they 
were  all  tangled  up  we  had  to  defend  ourselves.  I  got 
nine  wounds  on  my  arms  and  hands,  the  only  serious 
one  being  on  the  head,  at  the  back  of  the  skull.  That 
knocked  me  over  for  a  while ;  I  also  got  eight  blows 
with  clubs,  one  partly  stunning  me,  and  I  felt  pretty  well 
done  up.  They  also  attacked  the  cart  where  my  wife 
and  eight-months'  old  child  were.  One  ruffian  made  a 
desperate  stab  at  my  wife,  but  she  warded  off  the  blow 
with  a  pillow.  Another  cut  was  made,  but  she  warded 
off  its  effect  with  a  quilt.  My  little  boy  of  nine,  and  a 
little  girl  of  six  years  of  age,  had  many  narrow  escapes. 
Taking  my  wife  and  family  away  from  the  cart,  we  left 
the  horde  to  plunder  it.  Some  of  them  followed  us  into 
the  open,  saying,  "  We'll  not  let  you  go  farther  south  ; 
we  will  keep  you."  My  little  girl  got  a  heavy  blow  on 
the  chest  from  a  large  piece  of  dried  earth.  My  wife 
pleaded  with  them,  speaking  of  their  usual  kindness  to 
children,  and  that  seemed  to  have  a  good  effect,  as  they 
then  left  us. 

'  We  next  reached  a  village  where  we  received  much 
better  treatment,  the  people  giving  us  medicine  for  our 
wounds,  and  also  food  and  clothes  for  the  children.  One 
of  my  four  little  ones  was  away  in  another  cart,  and 
these  people  at  once  said  they  would  find  and  bring  her 
back.  These  people,  it  appears,  were  Mohammedans. 
They  were  alarmed  at  our  presence,  and  wanted  us  to 
leave,  saying  we  would  all  be  killed.  The  men,  however, 
said  they  would  fight  for  us. 

'  Mr.  Griffiths,  another  member  of  the  party,  had  a 


2o6  The  Flight  from  Honan 

revolver,  but  it  was  broken  in  his  hand  by  a  stone  at  the 
first  onset  of  the  crowd.  He  then  got  a  big  club,  and 
with  his  back  to  the  cart  fought  like  a  hero,  keeping  the 
swordsmen  at  bay,  although  badly  cut.  Mr.  M'Kenzie 
used  his  revolver  to  frighten  the  mob,  and  he  too  was 
severely  bruised.  Dr.  Leslie,  who  was  seriously  injured, 
also  had  a  revolver.  His  wife  had  been  very  seriously 
ill  for  some  time,  and  he  was  guarding  her,  when  a 
fellow  sneaked  up  with  a  sword  and  nearly  severed  his 
right  hand.  He  was  cut,  too,  on  the  knee,  and  the 
tendon  of  one  leg  was  cut  through. 

'  At  one  time,  when  Dr.  Leslie  and  his  wife  were 
going  along  in  their  cart,  a  man  came  up  and  attacked 
them  with  a  sword.  The  doctor  had  only  one  cartridge 
left  in  his  revolver,  and  in  self-defence  he  shot  and 
killed  his  assailant.  The  rest  of  our  party,  consisting  of 
three  men  and  three  women  and  a  child  of  seven  years 
of  age,  had  gone  on  ahead,  and  they  were  "  held  up  "  by 
robbers.  The  women  put  their  rings  and  watches  on 
strings  round  their  necks  and  inside  their  dresses,  and 
the  ruffians  tore  their  clothes  open  and  wrenched  the 
jewellery  off  with  brutal  force.  They  actually  attempted 
to  take  the  women's  skirts  off,  but  a  remonstrance  from 
one  of  the  party  caused  them  to  desist.  From  the 
villages  on  the  way  they  begged  food  and  drink,  but 
none  would  help  them.  I  sent  a  message  for  help  to 
the  brigadier-general  at  one  of  the  towns  on  the  way, 
and  he  sent  fifteen  horsemen,  but  they  really  did  us 
more  harm  than  good.  He  told  the  people  in  a  low 
voice  that  there  was  war  going  on,  and  that  they  had  no 
business  to  protect  us,  and  then  he  went  off  to  the  city, 
leaving  us  to  come  on  as  best  we  could.  This  officer  is 
named  Yin,  and  this  action  might  easily  have  resulted 
in  the  massacre  of  the  whole  party. 


Defended  by  Chinese  207 

'  The  crowd  at  Nan-yang  was  very  unfriendly.  We 
got  to  an  inn,  and  they  swarmed  into  the  place.  We 
were  in  a  small  room  on  two  native  beds,  and  the  room 
was  so  packed  that  it  was  stifling.  For  hours  they 
made  a  show  of  us,  and  our  women  had  neither  food  nor 
rest.  I  sent  to  the  Yamen  for  protection  and  food,  and 
a  man  came,  but  could  not  keep  order.  Food  was 
brought,  and  they  told  us  we  would  have  to  go,  by 
order  of  the  military  official  and  a  man  attached  to  the 
magistracy.  We  said  we  had  no  food  nor  anything 
else,  and  that  the  authorities  must  provide  us  with  food 
and  money.  We  told  the  military  official  he  had 
allowed  us  to  be  robbed,  and  that  he  would  have  to 
give  us  an  escort.  I  told  him  the  Foreign  Powers  were 
going  to  deal  with  China,  and  that  if  we  were  ill-treated 
they  would  have  to  answer  for  it.  He  promised  us  an 
escort  of  forty  foot  and  twenty  horsemen,  but  we  could 
not  stop  there  that  night ;  we  must  go  right  on.  We 
replied  that  we  would  not  leave  until  the  military 
arrived.  Then  three  times  people  cam.e  saying  the 
troops  had  come,  and  we  must  go.  I  found  out  each 
time  that  this  was  not  true,  but  at  last  a  party  of  eight 
or  ten  soldiers  did  come.  They  told  our  servants  we 
were  all  to  be  killed  that  night,  and  advised  them  to 
leave  us.  One  man  cleared  out,  but  the  other  two  men 
and  one  woman  stuck  to  us  bravely.  The  woman  once, 
when  sheltering  a  two-year-old  child,  was  threatened 
with  death,  and  she  said  she  would  guard  the  little 
one  with  her  life.  One  of  our  China  boys  also  bravely 
defended  a  child  at  the  peril  of  his  life. 

'  We  saw  that  we  were  being  followed,  and  decided 
to  leave,  as  we  might  as  well  be  killed  on  the  road  as  in 
the  inn.  The  mob  had  been  besieging  the  Catholic 
Mission  there  for  some  days.     It  had  been  decided,  we 


2o8  The  Flight  from  Honan 

heard,  that  the  brigadier-general,  with  all  his  troops, 
should  go  out  and  destroy  everything,  and  leave  nothing 
belonging  to  the  foreigners.  The  people  said  these 
orders  were  from  Peking,  and  that  all  the  foreigners 
were  to  be  killed.  Our  departure  was  made  at  i  a.m. 
Mr.  Jamieson  had  got  there  a  day  ahead  of  us,  and  so 
out  of  this  trouble.  When  we  had  got  outside  the  south 
gate,  it  was  discovered  that  Mr.  Griffith  and  Paul  (my 
"  boy  ")  were  missing.  We  sent  a  man  back  to  look  for 
them,  and  hallooed.  It  was  found  that  Mr.  Griffith  and 
Paul  had  left  the  cart,  and  we  feared  they  were  lost. 
Mr.  Griffith  had  only  his  socks  on  at  the  time.  We 
halted  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  but  got  no  word  further 
than  that  the  carter  had  seen  them  alight  in  the  southern 
suburb.  It  endangered  the  whole  party  to  remain 
longer,  and  we  saw  signal  lights  flashing  at  the  south 
gate.  We  left  one  of  our  five  carts  for  the  missing  ones, 
and  went  on. 

*  Before  we  had  gone  seven  miles  every  soldier  had 
left  us.  Then  the  carters  refused  to  go  on,  and  were 
going  to  cast  us  off  in  the  road  and  go  back.  This 
caused  a  great  crowd  to  gather,  and  a  man  of  some 
responsibility  inquired  the  cause.  He  was  very  angry 
with  the  carters,  and  said  he  would  have  them  beaten 
if  they  did  not  go  on.  He  came  some  distance  with  us. 
After  he  left  us,  men  with  knives  and  swords  stopped  us 
again  and  again,  snatching  up  anything  they  could  lay 
hands  on.  Our  people  were  all  in  their  blood-stained 
clothing,  and  the  children  were  in  rags.  This  excited 
some  pity,  and  one  man  who  came  to  rob,  led  us  through 
three  different  places  and  protected  our  amah.  My  pith 
hat,  split  by  a  sword  cut,  was  snatched  from  my  head, 
and  when  I  tried  to  regain  it,  it  was  torn  to  pieces. 

'  We  next  got  to  Watienlu,  a  big  market  town  sixty 


/ 


Mr.  Jameson's  Timely  Aid         209 

li  from  Nan-yang,  and  here  I  met  two  men  who  knew 
me.  They  at  once  came  to  our  help,  and  their  friendly 
attitude  had  a  good  effect  on  the  crowd.  When  I 
mentioned  that  Mr.  Griffith  and  Paul  were  missing,  they 
promised  to  do  all  they  could  to  find  them,  and  sent  two 
men  with  us,  who  took  us  safely  to  Hsin-yeh-hsin,  forty 
miles  south  of  Nan-yang.  In  the  afternoon  a  messenger 
overtook  us,  saying  that  the  missing  ones  had  arrived  at 
the  place  we  had  left,  and  that  wheel-barrows  would  be 
sent  to  meet  them,  and  that  same  night  they  rejoined  us. 
'At  Fan-ch'eng,  Mr.  Jamieson  had  a  man  waiting 
with  50  taels  (about  £"])  for  us,  and  the  magistrate  also 
offered  us  money.  Mr.  Jamieson  kindly  had  secured 
inns  for  us  at  Fanchen,  and  he  very  generously  offered 
us  500  taels  (about  £']0).  It  is  impossible  for  us  to 
fully  express  our  gratitude  to  Mr.  Jamieson.  He  sent 
telegrams  ahead  to  the  Viceroy  of  Wuchang,  Chang 
Chih-tung  ;  and  that  official,  to  whom  our  warmest  thanks 
are  due,  sent  up  two  gunboats  and  two  boatloads  of 
soldiers,  to  escort  our  reunited  party  down  to  Hankow. 
Again  Mr.  Jamieson's  good  offices  stood  us  in  splendid 
stead,  he  sending  a  steam-tug ;  otherwise  we  should  have 
made  little  progress  against  the  head  winds.  With  Mr. 
Jamieson,  Messrs.  Reed  and  Fisher,  engineers  of  the 
Peking  Syndicate,  were  kindness  itself.  The  U.S. 
Consul  at  Hankow  sent  his  Vice-Consul,  Mr.  Brown,  on 
the  tug  to  meet  us,  and  with  him  came  Mr.  Chapen,  U.S. 
Episcopal  missionary  at  Hankow.  Our  hearts  were 
too  full  to  speak  our  gratitude  at  the  kindnesses  we 
received.  At  Hankow,  Mr.  Jamieson  secured  the  best 
cabins  on  the  steamer  for  the  women,  and  himself  went 
into  the  native  quarters  on  board.  The  luxury  of  good 
plain  food  was  heartily  enjoyed  by  the  half-famished 
people,  and  we  all  were  treated  with  the  utmost 
14 


2IO  The  Flight  from  Honan 

hospitalit3^  Altogether,  we  lost  property  and  effects 
valued  at  10,000  taels  (about  ;{i'i40o),  and  Mr.  Jamieson 
himself  was  a  very  heavy  loser.' 

The  experiences  of  Mr.  Griffith  and  Master  Paul 
Goforth,  when  they  lost  the  party  at  Nan-yang,  are  full 
of  interest,  and  the  Rev.  J.  Griffith  thus  describes  their 
adventures  as  '  a  day  and  a  night  in  peril ' : — 

*  About  midnight,  it  seemed  useless  to  longer  resist  the 
persistent  demands  of  the  officials  that  we  should  leave  the 
city.  We  had  told  them  that,  unless  they  gave  us  money 
and  an  escort,  they  might  come  and  massacre  us  all  in  the 
inn,  but  we  would  not  budge.  They  had  yielded  so  far 
as  to  give  us  a  few  soldiers,  and  cash  to  the  value  of 
about  eleven  dollars.  An  hour  after  midnight,  we 
grouped  ourselves  upon  five  bare  carts — selected  from 
the  ten  which  we  had  formerly  occupied — and  started 
out.  The  narrow,  silent,  tortuous  streets,  the  knowledge 
that  bitter  enemies  were  all  about  us,  and  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  events  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours, — these 
altogether  gave  one  a  strange  feeling.  But  all  our  foes 
were  not  asleep,  for  the  soldiers  with  us  were  acting  very 
strangely,  and  we  knew  what  threats  they  had  been 
making  in  the  inn  yard.  We  had  purposely  arranged 
the  carts  with  Mr.  Goforth's  in  front  and  mine  last,  keep- 
ing the  rest  of  the  company  between  us.  I  suppose  I 
noticed  the  actions  of  the  soldiers  more  carefully  than 
any  one  else,  on  account  of  what  I  had  heard,  and  could 
not  but  observe  how  they  divided  into  two  small  bands 
and  surrounded  the  first  and  last  carts  as  soon  as  we 
were  on  the  street. 

*  At  the  first  town,  those  about  my  cart  gathered  in  a 
group,  stuck  their  swords  up  their  left  sleeves,  whispered 
suspiciously  together,  and  then  sent  some  of  their  number 
hurriedly  down  a  side   street.     My  carter  had  noticed 


Paul  Goforth 


2  r  I 


their  action  too,  and  leaning  over  toward  me  whispered, 
in  terror,  his  conviction  that  we  were  to  be  massacred  in 
a  few  minutes.  I  replied  that  it  might  be  well  for  me  to 
leave  the  cart  and  walk  along  the  dark  side  of  the  street, 
in  order  to  watch  developments.  He  answered  that  the 
plan  was  a  good  one ;  so  I  descended,  and,  as  little  Paul 
Goforth  was  entrusted  to  my  care,  took  him  along  with 
me.  After  telling  the  ladies  in  front  to  leave  their  carts 
in  case  an  alarm  were  sounded,  we  skirted  along  the  wall 
on  the  left  side  of  the  street.  Soon  I  noticed  that  it  was 
the  outer  city  wall,  and  that  it  was  broken  down  in  many 
places.  A  river  flowed  within  a  hundred  feet  of  it, 
but  between  the  two  was  a  winding  path.  This  sug- 
gested the  plan  of  keeping  outside  the  wall  and 
watching  our  treacherous  guard  through  the  successive 
breaks  in  it. 

'  This  plan  was  found  to  be  all  right  for  a  while,  but 
presently  the  wall  was  more  perfect,  and  just  there  the 
carts  suddenly  turned  off  at  a  right  angle,  and  we  found 
ourselves  compelled  to  go  some  distance  to  a  place  where 
we  could  recross.  By  that  time  the  carts  were  lost  in 
the  darkness,  and  their  usual  noisy  rattle  seemed  to  have 
ceased.  Possibly  they  were  on  a  piece  of  sandy  street. 
At  any  rate,  pursuit  seemed  useless,  so  I  formed  a 
resolution  to  follow  the  river  and  get  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  city  before  morning.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  felt 
that  I  should  never  again  see  the  dear  friends  from  whom 
we  had  been  parted,  and  plans  for  saving  little  Paul  and 
myself  immediately  began  to  take  shape.  I  felt  that,  if 
Mr.  Goforth  could  have  expressed  a  last  wish  under  such 
circumstances,  it  would  have  been  that  he  might  have 
revenge  upon  his  murderers  by  giving  a  son  to  be  his 
successor  in  proclaiming  to  them  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation.     I   was   convinced   that   the  river  which  we 


212  The  Flight  from  Honan 

were  following  flowed  to  Fan-ch'eng,  where  boats  would 
be  waiting  for  us,  and  that,  by  keeping  near  it  and 
avoiding  main  roads  and  towns  as  much  as  possible,  we 
might  get  through  the  eighty  miles  to  that  city. 

'  So  we  trudged  on,  venturing  here  and  there  to  arouse 
some  Chinaman  sleeping  on  the  ground  by  his  vegetable 
garden,  in  order  to  ask  a  question  of  our  informant,  to 
prevent  our  being  recognised.  Once,  on  a  stretch  of 
river  road,  we  saw  some  one  coming  toward  us,  and 
branched  off  on  a  side-path.  He  shouted  at  us,  probably 
to  strengthen  his  own  courage,  but  we  passed  on  and  did 
not  answer.  Paul  was  acting  splendidly,  walking  well 
and  not  asking  too  many  questions,  but  I  knew  he  must 
rest  before  morning,  so  told  him  that  whenever  he  felt 
tired  we  would  find  a  place  in  which  to  lie  down. 
Presently  he  showed  signs  of  fatigue,  so  we  selected  a 
fine  warm  spot  on  a  dry  sandbank  of  the  river,  and, 
after  commending  ourselves  to  God's  care,  lay  down  to 
peaceful  slumber.  There  were  only  the  faintest  streaks 
of  coming  day  across  the  sky  when  we  awoke  and 
continued  our  tramp.  Hunger  began  to  make  itself  felt, 
for  we  had  eaten  very  little  food  during  the  last  thirty 
hours.  We  passed  an  orchard,  and  there  was  a  tempta- 
tion to  investigate  it,  but  we  passed  on.  Some  men 
bestirring  themselves  beside  their  water-melon  patch 
suggested  possible  sympathisers,  but  they  gruffly  refused 
us  even  a  taste.  Then  we  came  to  a  wide  stretch  of  sand 
through  which  the  river  wandered  in  shallow  streams. 
The  sun  was  just  rising,  the  birds  were  singing,  the 
waters  were  cool,  and  man  was  absent.  God's  waters 
and  grass  and  birds  never  seemed  so  sweet  in  all  my  life 
as  during  the  dawning  hour  of  that  eventful  day.  We 
talked  of  them,  and  waded  in  the  stream,  and  forgot  our 
hunger,  and  I  fear  the  tears  stood  in  my  eyes  as  memory 


Compelled  to  Beg  213 

carried  me  back  to  the  sweet  and  peaceful  scenes  of  the 
dear  home  land. 

*A   main  road  crossed  the  bridgeless  river  at  this 
point.     Feeling  convinced  it  was  the  road  running  to 
Fan-ch'eng,  and  fearing  that,  if  the  soldiers  had  murdered 
our  companions,  they  would  be  on   the  lookout  for  us 
also,  we  got  away  from  the  spot  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
followed  the  stream.     But   hunger   soon   forced   us   to 
capitulate,  and  as  we  had  not  a  single  coin,  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  beg.     An  isolated  house  in  a  lonely 
peach  orchard  seemed  to  present  fewest  dangers,  so  we 
made  for  it.     The  man  and  his  wife,  after  hearing  our 
story,  seemed  kindly  disposed,  but  they  had  no  fruit  fit 
to  eat.     They  also  said  they  had   no  other  food,  and 
indeed  the  utter  wretchedness  of  their  hovel  seemed  to 
bear  out  their  assertion.     But  they  had  some  hot  water, 
and  gave  us  a  drink.     The  man  also  listened  to  my  plea 
for  an  old  pair  of  cast-off  shoes  to  save  my  bruised  and 
blistered  feet,  and  brought  out  a  couple  of  ragged  "  scows  " 
which  he  had  thrown  away.     They  were  startlingly  large 
for  shoes,  but  better  than  nothing,  so  I  put  them  on  and 
stuffed  in  grass  to  tighten  them  on  my  feet.     That  one 
appreciates  kindness  in  proportion  to  his  distress  and 
need  was  a  thought  borne  in  upon  me  very  strongly  that 
morning.     I   felt   that   this  poverty-stricken  fellow-man 
had  done  a  great  deal  for  us,  and  felt  deeply  thankful  to 
him.     But  he  added  another  kindness  of  still  greater 
importance  to  us,  by  informing  us  of  a  report  that  some 
carts  containing  foreign  men,  women,  and  children  had 
passed  near  there  about  an  hour  before. 

'We  immediately  started  out  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated, and  upon  entering  a  large  village  received  such 
definite  information  as  made  doubt  no  longer  possible. 
Again  hunger  was  forgotten,  and  we  were  for  hurrying 


2  14  The  Flight  from  Honan 

in  the  direction  the  carts  had  gone.  But  some  men 
were  sitting  by  the  wayside  eating  their  morning  meal, 
and,  having  heard  our  story,  insisted  upon  our  eating  a 
bowl  of  corn-meal  before  proceeding.  Then  we  quietly 
left  the  village,  but  were  only  a  few  hundreds  of  yards 
out  of  it  when  little  Paul  looked  back,  and  suddenly 
startled  me  by  exclaiming  that  a  terrible-looking  man 
was  almost  upon  us.  A  glance  showed  me  that  I  should 
probably  have  to  deal  with  a  madman,  so,  shouting  to 
Paul  to  run,  I  turned  to  meet  the  new  danger.  He  tried 
to  pass  me,  but  I  blocked  the  way  and  demanded  an 
explanation.  With  fire  blazing  in  his  eyes,  he  answered 
that  he  must  and  would  have  "  that  boy."  We  parleyed 
a  few  moments  in  altercation,  while  a  crowd,  standing 
on  the  confines  of  the  village  and  watching  our  move- 
ments, rapidly  grew  larger  and  began  to  run  towards  us. 
My  antagonist  began  to  scuffle  with  me  to  get  past  and 
after  Paul,  who  was  rapidly  disappearing  down  the  road. 
I  scarcely  know  how,  but  we  worked  to  the  edge  of  a 
ravine  about  twenty  feet  deep,  and  suddenly  realising 
my  opportunity,  I  put  forth  all  my  strength  and  flung  the 
fellow  into  it.  As  he  went  over  the  bank  he  carried  with 
him  one-half  of  my  blood-saturated  Chinese  shirt — a  relic 
of  our  riot  the  day  before.  Had  it  not  parted,  I  should 
almost  certainly  have  gone  over  the  bank  with  my  foe. 
However,  once  free  from  him,  I  kicked  off  the  cumbrous 
shoes,  and,  taking  them  in  my  hand,  followed  Paul  as 
fast  as  my  legs  would  carry  me.  Any  one  familiar  with 
China  can  imagine  how  village  after  village  was  roused 
in  pursuit  of  us.  Only  the  hope  of  soon  catching  sight 
of  the  carts  induced  me  to  run  the  risks  involved  in  thus 
hurrying  along  where  we  might  be  suddenly  struck 
down. 

'Soon,  however,  I  learned  that  we  were  hopelessly 


A  Remarkable  Chinaman  215 

behind  the  carts,  and  therefore  resolved  that  we  must 
adopt  another  poHcy.  We  could  run  no  longer,  so 
explanation  and  appeal  must,  by  God's  blessing,  save 
us,  if  we  were  to  be  saved.  Soon  we  entered  a  walled 
town,  which  it  seemed  difficult  to  avoid,  and  there  the 
surging,  vociferating  mobs  surrounded  and  jostled  us, 
and  assumed  a  most  threatening  attitude.  Our  position 
seemed  almost  hopeless,  and  it  looked  as  though  a  word 
or  movement  might  precipitate  the  crisis  and  seal  our 
fate,  when  a  man  suddenly  spoke  up  and  declared  that 
we  ought  to  be  allowed  to  proceed.  He  was  rather 
young-looking,  and  it  seemed  strange  that  the  crowd 
should  pay  so  much  attention  to  his  opinion.  But  open 
it  up  he  did,  and  the  man  himself  led  us  out  of  the  town. 
Not  only  that,  though  we  were  absolutely  penniless  and 
almost  naked,  he  voluntarily  accompanied  us  a  distance 
of  thirty  li  (ten  miles),  and  for  one-third  or  more  of  that 
distance  carried  Paul  Goforth  on  his  back,  as  the  brave 
little  fellow  was  almost  exhausted.  For  the  last  twelve 
li  of  the  thirty  he  kicked  off  his  shoes,  and,  carrying 
them  in  his  hand,  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  to  a  town  where 
we  hoped  the  carts  would  be  stopped  for  dinner.  They 
had  stopped  for  a  short  time,  but  were  gone  again.  Our 
strange  benefactor  could  go  no  farther.  He  returned, 
and,  meeting  us  still  two  miles  from  the  town,  quietly 
said  that  he  must  now  return  home.  We  could  not  ask 
him  to  do  more.  He  had  already  done  a  thing  so  remark- 
able for  this  heathen  land,  that  we  could  only  feel  that 
God  had  specially  moved  his  heart  in  our  behalf.  Not 
without  emotion  we  thanked  him  for  his  great  kindness. 
It  was  all  we  could  do,  besides  expressing  the  hope  that 
some  future  day  might  bring  him  his  reward. 

'  Then,  as  he  disappeared,  we  turned  to  continue  our 
painful  way  to — we  knew  not  where.     My  brave  little 


2i6  The  Flight  from  Honan 

companion  was  scarcely  able  to  walk,  and  my  own  feet 
were  so  blistered  and  stone-bruised  and  pierced  with 
thorns  that  it  was  painful  to  even  touch  them  on  the 
ground.  Toward  the  town  we  slowly  made  our  way, 
trying  to  follow  footpaths  among  the  corn-fields,  so  as 
to  keep  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible.  But  the 
Chinese  seemed  to  be  everywhere,  and  again  and  again 
we  were  discovered  and  surrounded  by  excited  mobs. 
Dozens  of  times  it  happened  that  day.  Sometimes  the 
clubs  or  hoes  were  held  threateningly  over  our  heads, 
while  we  were  catechised  as  to  who  we  were  and  where 
we  came  from.  Gradually  I  came  to  understand  the 
object  of  the  almost  ungovernable  rage  which  seemed 
to  have  possession  of  the  people. 

'  It  is  sad  to  have  to  say  it  about  persons  professing 
to  preach  the  gospel  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus, 
but  the  fact  is  the  people  of  that  whole  country-side  were 
furious  against  what  they  considered  to  be  the  tyranny 
and  oppression  of  the  Roman  Catholics.  Hatred  blazed 
in  their  eyes,  and  I  am  most  firmly  persuaded  that, 
humanly  speaking,  it  was  only  our  ability  to  prove  that 
we  were  not  Roman  Catholics  which  saved  our  lives  that 
day.  Once  we  could  persuade  a  mob  of  that  fact,  its 
fury  seemed  to  melt  away.  Again  and  again  the  same 
thing  happened.  On  one  occasion  an  immense  crowd, 
which  had  been  assembled  at  a  theatre  in  the  road, 
caught  sight  of  us.  They  ran  screaming  and  shouting 
across  the  fields  to  where  we  were.  The  people  were 
excited,  and,  with  the  clubs  already  swinging  over  our 
heads,  I  feared  even  explanations  would  not  be  waited 
for.  But  they  did  consent  to  listen,  and  when  eventually 
persuaded  that  we  were  Protestants  and  not  Roman 
Catholics,  British  and  not  French,  the  very  man  who  had 
seemed  most  determined  to  instantly  kill  us  went  away 


Chasing  the  Carts  217 

and  got  one  hundred  cash,  which  he  gave  to  Paul,  and 
told  us  to  go  on  our  way. 

*  At  last  we  reached  the  town,  and  managed,  by  the 
help  of  a  pedlar,  to  find  the  inn  where  the  carts  had 
halted.  Instantly  we  entered  the  yard,  a  well-dressed 
man  rushed  toward  us,  and  hurried  us,  in  the  most  friendly 
way,  into  a  side  room.  I  could  not  tell  what  to  make  of 
it,  but  he  explained  quickly  that  he  had  once  been  an 
assistant  in  the  Yamen  at  Chang-te-fu,  and  while  there 
had  been  shown  kindness  at  our  compound.  He  had 
seen  Mr.  Goforth  with  the  carts,  and  had  been  requested 
to  assist  us,  in  case  we  happened  to  be  heard  of.  Food 
was  prepared  for  us,  and  meantime  a  fast  messenger  was 
hurriedly  sent  to  overtake  the  carts  and  announce  our 
coming. 

*  As  soon  as  we  had  finished  eating,  it  was  announced 
that  our  "  cart "  had  arrived.  Our  "  cart "  proved  to  be  a 
very  ordinary  "  wheel-barrow,"  but  as  it  was  declared  to 
be  the  only  vehicle  available,  and  as  we  were  scarcely  in  a 
position  to  dictate,  we  sat  down — one  on  each  side — and 
away  the  men  went,  one  pulling  and  the  other  pushing. 
How  the  people  laughed  at  our  grotesque  appearance ! 
Sometimes,  however,  they  were  fierce  and  threatening, 
until  our  story  was  told,  or  until  some  good  man  exhorted 
them  to  peace.  Occasionally  light  showers  of  rain  fell, 
and  then  the  people  were  mostly  indoors,  much  to  our 
relief.  This,  too,  is  to  be  recorded  as  another  of  the 
Lord's  mercies, — that  we  were  saved  from  the  fierceness 
of  a  southern  sun  during  all  that  July  day,  as  we  travelled 
with  unprotected  heads.     It  was  cloudy  almost  all  day. 

'  Another  providential  occurrence  was  the  fact  that^ 
about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  we  met  a  servant  who 
had  been  separated  from  us  for  two  or  three  days.  He 
had   cut   across   country,   and,   happening  to  meet  the 


2i8  The  Flight  from  Honan 

Peking  Syndicate  engineers,  who  had  heard  of  our  being 
robbed,  was  entrusted  with  fifty  ounces  of  silver  for  us. 
When  met,  he  was  going  toward  Nan-yang-fu  (having 
missed  our  friends  on  the  road),  and  by  evening  would 
have  been  at  least  twenty  miles  from  their  stopping- 
place.  Our  possession  of  this  silver  solved  one  of  the 
most  distressing  problems  pressing  upon  our  penniless 
friends  when  we  overtook  them  that  night. 

*  As  darkness  came  on  that  afternoon,  we  were  able 
to  conceal  from  most  of  those  whom  we  met  the  fact 
that  we  were  foreigners.  We  began  to  breathe  more 
freely,  and  to  feel  that  the  danger  of  mob  violence  was 
almost  past.  This  was  a  great  relief,  for  although  I 
had  felt  little  concern  for  myself  in  the  prospect  of  sudden 
death,  which  had  faced  us  many  times  during  the  previous 
two  days,  yet  my  heart  had  been  sore  for  those  whose 
hearts  would  break  if  they  should  never  see  us  again  on 
earth.  Before  midnight  we  were  entering  the  inn  which 
sheltered  the  dear  friends  from  whom  we  had  been  so 
strangely  separated,  and  with  what  joy  and  gratitude 
to  God  we  met  each  other  again  I  leave  the  reader  to 
imagine/ 


CHAPTER  XIV 
The  Flight  from  Honan 

h.  the  china  inland  missionaries 

The  missionaries  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  in  the 
province  of  Honan,  are  mostly  working  in  the  south  of 
that  province.  The  Canadian  Presbyterians,  in  making 
their  escape  from  the  north  and  going  towards  Hankow, 
passed  close  to  some  of  the  China  Inland  Mission 
stations,  and  to  one  of  these,  She-k'i-tien,  they  sent  a 
message,  advising  the  friends  there  to  flee.  In  accordance 
with  this  intimation,  the  missionaries  there  decided  to 
make  their  escape,  and  an  account  of  their  adventures  is 
graphically  told  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Guinness  : — 

'  At  the  beginning  of  July,  reports  of  the  disturbed 
condition  of  the  country  began  to  arriye  at  our  station — 
She-k'i-tien,  near  Nan-yang-fu,  in  South-west  Honan. 
Prolonged  droughts  had  destroyed  the  prospects  of  a 
good  harvest,  and  the  people  were  in  a  restless  condition, 
ready  for  anything  in  the  way  of  uprising  and  excite- 
ment. They  were  incensed  at  the  failure  of  all  their 
prayers  and  rain  processions ;  no  rain  had  fallen.  "  It 
must  be  the  foreigners'  fault,"  they  said;  "let  us  get 
rid  of  them."  Wild  rumours  were  current  everywhere, 
and  finally  we  heard  very  definite  threats  of  violence; 
no  notice  was  taken,    however,   as   wild    talk    is    very 

219 


2  20  The  Flight  from  Honan 

common  in  China,  and  we  did  not  want  to  be  disturbed 
by  it. 

*  On  Saturday,  July  7,  a  large  party  (Canadian 
Presbyterian)  of  foreigners,  fleeing  from  the  north, 
passed  our  station,  and  sent  a  messenger  to  warn  us  of 
the  danger,  and  bid  us  make  good  our  escape.  The 
same  evening  two  officials  came  to  discuss  the  situation  ; 
they  were  evidently  desirous  of  getting  money,  but  not 
willing  to  do  much  to  help.  We  wrote  to  the  man- 
darin at  Nan-yang-fu,  and  determined  to  wait  for  an 
escort. 

*  The  services  next  day  were  very  well  attended ;  in 
the  afternoon  crowds  assembled  to  see  the  Church 
members  go  home;  a  riot  seemed  imminent,  but  an 
influential  man  dispersed  the  people,  and  we  locked  the 
doors  and  packed  a  few  things  and  prepared  to  leave. 
That  night  a  few  soldiers  were  stationed  in  front  of  the 
door,  and  we  were  left  in  peace,  but  dawn  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  guard  had  gone.  It  was  impossible  to  get 
away,  because  a  vast  crowd  had  assembled,  evidently 
bent  on  rioting.  The  packed  boxes,  together  with  a 
case  of  instruments  and  drugs  and  a  camera,  were 
conveyed  across  a  wall  in  the  garden  and  placed  in  an 
out-house  in  our  neighbour's  courtyard.  By  means  of  a 
ladder,  my  companions  (Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conway  and  baby 
and  Miss  W.  Watson)  and  myself  scaled  the  same  wall 
and  stood  in  this  yard,  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn  ; 
our  teacher  was  pale  and  nervous,  and  could  offer  no 
suggestion.  The  yells  of  the  people  and  battering  at 
our  front  door  sounded  ominous.  He  said,  "You  must 
hide ;  they  are  coming ;  it  does  not  matter  if  you  are 
killed,  but  I  fear  worse  things  may  happen  to  you. 
Come  ! "  The  landlord  of  the  house  appeared,  and 
led  the  way  through  his  house  to  his  guest-hall.     In  one 


Refuge  in  a  Loft  221 

corner  of  the  room  was  a  ladder  leading  up  to  a  loft 
overhead.     "  Hush,  go  up  quickly  and  stay  still. 

'  It  was  a  long  room  with  five  windows  on  one  side, 
dust  and  lumber  plentifully  scattered  about;  and  there 
we  lay  hid,  listening  to  the  terrible  shouts  and  yelling  of 
the  mob,  the  crash  and  falling  of  timber  and  masonry ; 
they  had  begun  to  riot  in  earnest.     Two  of  the  party 
were  ladies,  and  one  of  these,  Mrs.  Conway   had  been 
seriously  ill  and  was  very  weak.      The  month-old  baby 
required  food.     The  mother  had  tasted  nothing  since 
the  previous  day,  and  it  was  quite  impossible  to  get 
anything  then.      Should  the  child  cry,  our  whereabouts 
would  be  revealed,  so  it  was  all-important  to  keep  her 
quiet.     We  prayed  in  silence,  and  the  Lord  heard  and 
kept  the  child  still  from  dawn  till  dark. 

'  It  was  very  hot.  The  noise  of  the  rioters  increased 
as  they  neared  us.  Our  house  was  in  flames ;  we  could 
hear  the  crackling  of  the  fire  and  see  the  smoke. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  rush;  the  mob  had  traced  us 
over  the  wall  and  across  the  courtyard,  and  into  the 
room  beneath  they  came.  Every  word  was  so  distinct : 
"Kill  the  foreigners;  smash  up  the  house;  they  must 
be  here  up  this  ladder.  I  will  go  up  and  see ;  we  have 
searched  everywhere  else,  and  have  not  found  them.  1 
believe  they  are  here;  let  me  go  up."  A  brisk  alter- 
cation ensued;  our  friends  trying  to  dissuade  the 
searchers    from    ascending   the   ladder;    others    urging 

them  on.  a-      j         f* 

'  Time  after  time  they  were  driven  off,  and  as  olten 
returned  to  search.  They  clambered  on  to  the  roof  and 
stared  into  the  windows.  We  stood  flat  against  the 
wall  between  two  windows,  thus  attempting  to  screen 
ourselves  from  sight.  At  last  two  boys  saw  us  and 
spread  the  news.     Back  came  the  rioters.     "They  are 


222  The  Flight  from  Honan 

here ;  they  have  been  seen ;  we  will  go  up."  It  was 
an  anxious  moment,  but  God  gave  peace  amid  the 
anxiety.  The  landlord  managed  to  bluff  them  off 
again,  and  after  a  long  time  of  stamping  and  raging 
they  went  away ;  so  passed  the  hours  of  the  day  from 
7  a.m.  till  8  p.m. 

*  Darkness  at  length  brought  relief  from  strain ;  the 
mob  had  gone,  and  we  breathed  more  freely.  A  pot  of 
Chinese  tea  was  passed  up  through  the  floor,  and  the 
wearied  mother  could  quench  her  thirst.  Presently  the 
landlord  appeared,  white  and  trembling.  "  Don't  delay," 
he  said ;  "  follow  me ;  they  know  you  are  here."  His 
voice  was  almost  gone.  We  quickly  descended  the 
ladder,  and  again  crossed  the  yard  and  passed  into  a 
granary  situated  on  one  side  of  it,  immediately  opposite 
the  room  where  the  boxes  had  been  hidden  in  the 
morning.  At  one  side  of  the  room  stood  an  enormous 
basket  of  grain ;  a  stool  was  placed  on  this,  and  by  its 
aid  we  clambered  up  through  a  trap-door  into  a  loft 
above ;  the  stool  was  removed,  the  door  shut  down,  and 
all  trace  of  our  whereabouts  was  gone. 

'  We  were  in  a  long  room,  dirty  and  quite  devoid  of 
furniture ;  the  rotting  boards  of  the  floor  were  covered 
plentifully  with  dirt  and  rubbish.  The  earth  walls  were 
cracked  and  split.  A  number  of  windows  with  bars  of 
wood  across  them  served  to  let  in  the  light,  and  at  one 
end  an  open  but  broken  doorway,  partly  filled  with 
earth  bricks,  gave  us  a  view  of  the  whole  room,  with 
the  exception  of  one  corner.  It  was  this  corner  that 
gave  us  a  hiding-place  for  the  succeeding  four  days  of 
riot.  Thankful  to  have  escaped  thus  far,  we  lay  still  on 
the  floor  and  partook  of  a  piece  of  bread  and  some 
native  tea  that  Mr.  Li  (the  landlord)  had  provided. 
The  child  still  kept  quiet. 


A  Narrow  Escape  223 

*  It  was  quite  dark  by  now,  and  presently  the  trap- 
door lifted  and  Mr.  Li  emerged  from  below.  He  had 
come  to  tell  us  his  plans  for  escape.  We  were  to  be 
disguised  as  far  as  possible,  and  to  leave  at  midnight 
and  go  to  the  house  of  a  man  named  Chang,  from 
whence  a  start  could  be  made  early  in  the  morning  by 
carts.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  about  1145  p.m.  we 
passed  down  through  the  trap-door  on  to  the  grain,  and 
thence  regained  the  ground  floor,  little  knowing  the 
danger  that  lay  ahead,  had  this  plan  succeeded.  Just 
at  that  moment  a  noise  at  the  front  caused  us  all  to 
stand  still ;  a  few  minutes  later  the  landlord  came  running 
back,  and  said,  "  Quick  ;  back  to  the  loft :  the  *  Pao-kia-ku ' 
has  come  to  search  the  place."  There  was  no  time  to 
be  lost ;  up  on  to  the  basket  of  grain  we  climbed,  and 
once  again,  by  aid  of  the  stool,  managed  to  ascend  into 
the  room  above.  The  trap-door  was  quietly  let  down, 
and  I  took  my  seat  on  it ;  fortunately,  the  child  did  not 
cry.  With  short,  sharp  orders  the  Pao-kia-ku  official 
ordered  his  soldiers  to  search  the  place.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  boxes  and  camera  hidden  in  the  morning 
were  discovered  ;  these  were  promptly  removed. 

*  Having  cleared  them  away,  they  returned  to 
thoroughly  investigate  the  whole  place.  "  What  is  here  ?  " 
"  My  grain,"  answered  Mr.  Li.  "  The  door  is  locked ; 
I  must  get  in."  "  Here  "  (to  his  soldiers),  "  break  open 
the  door."  A  blow  from  a  heavy  pole  followed,  and  we 
heard  the  official  enter  the  granary  beneath  us.  "  What 
does  this  mean  ?  a  stool  on  a  pile  of  grain  just  beneath 
a  trap-door.  Who  is  up  there?  Search  and  see." 
Silently  we  prayed,  and  God  heard.  A  voice  said, 
"  Only  women  up  there."  Already  the  trap-door  had 
begun  to  lift.  "  Only  women,  oh  !  "  the  door  was  dropped, 
and    we    heard    them    departing ;    three    times    they 


2  24  The  Flight  from  Honan 

returned  to  the  search,  and  as  often  left  again;  we 
realised  in  a  new  way  that  God  is  a  hearer  and  answerer 
of  prayer. 

'  They  stationed  two  soldiers  below,  so  that  all  escape 
for  the  night  was  impossible.  Subsequently  we  found 
out  that,  had  the  plan  of  going  to  Mr.  Chang's  house 
succeeded,  none  of  us  might  ever  have  got  away  alive, 
so  that  what  seemed  to  us  disaster  was  really  our 
salvation.  All  too  quickly  the  remaining  hours  of 
darkness  passed  ;  brief  snatches  of  sleep  were  seized  by 
some,  others  listened  to  the  conversation  of  the  soldiers 
below ;  morning  dawned  and  revealed  us  to  each  other 
covered  with  dust  from  the  floor  and  cobwebs  from  the 
wall ;  the  month-old  baby  lay  asleep  by  her  mother ; 
little  sleep  and  lack  of  food  was  an  ill  preparation  for 
the  day  of  riot  that  was  to  follow,  but  "  as  thy  day  so 
shall  thy  strength  be  "  was  not  to  fail. 

*  Very  early  in  the  morning  the  rioters  came  back  to 
their  work,  to  finally  demolish  the  remaining  portion  of 
the  Gospel  hall.  A  very  thorough  search  was  made  for 
the  foreigners.  Yells  and  blows  resounded  on  all  sides  ; 
time  after  time  we  could  only  lie  hiding  our  faces  in  the 
dust  and  praying,  as  the  sounds  of  the  rioters  overhead 
made  the  room  shake.  They  smashed  the  tiles  and 
danced  on  the  roof,  and  tried  to  look  in  the  windows  and 
broken  door.  "  Where  are  the  foreign  devils  ?  kill  them, 
kill  them  ! "  Towards  evening  the  sound  of  rioting 
diminished :  they  were  going  to  their  homes.  I  looked 
through  a  window  into  the  court  below  and  saw  two 
men  piling  wood  and  straw  and  dried  grass  round  the 
house.  "  We  will  burn  them  out  and  kill  them  as  they 
run  "  ;  the  voice  was  low,  and  I  could  not  be  quite  sure 
what  was  said.  Was  this  then  to  be  the  end?  The 
ladies  knew  nothing  of  this,  and  we  did  not  tell  them. 


^  F 


1 


r 


» 


THE    SO    PIXG   FU    MARTYRS. 

M.  HEDLUND.  J-    I^UXDELL. 

X.    CARLESON.       E.    KARLBERG. 
O.    L.    LARSSON.  E.    PETTERSSON. 


E.    PERSSON. 


S.    PERSSON. 


A.    JOHANSSON. 


J.    ENGVALL. 

lSeep.79- 


Fears  and  Terrors  225 

The  house  was  not  burned,  however,  and  another  night 
came  on,  and  with  it  a  chance  to  get  a  little  food  through 
the  trap-door. 

*  Wednesday  and  Thursday  were  thus  passed  in  the 
loft.  Every  night  fresh  plans  of  escape  were  devised, 
but  could  not  be  carried  out.  One  evening  the  ladies 
were  to  have  been  conveyed  away  from  the  city  in  water- 
butts,  and  we,  disguised,  were  to  walk  with  them.  The 
butts  proved  too  small,  and  could  not  be  used.  The 
attempt  to  let  us  down  over  the  city  wall  with  ropes 
they  said  would  prove  futile ;  the  wall  was  too  carefully 
guarded.  The  city  gates  were  closed,  with  the  exception 
of  two,  which  were  jealously  watched.  "  Would  we  dress 
up  as  soldiers  and  escort  the  ladies  on  horseback  ? " 
"  No,  the  risk  was  too  great.  Travellers  were  being 
continually  robbed  and  killed."  At  last,  hope  of  an 
escort  of  soldiers  cheered  our  hearts  ;  one  hundred  or  two 
hundred  taels  was  to  be  given,  and  for  this  sum  an  escort 
provided  to  Fan-ch'eng.  The  time  of  starting  was  settled, 
and  we  fully  expected  to  get  away.  But  all  hopes  were 
doomed  to  disappointment ;  the  escort  refused  to  go 
for  less  than  500  taels  (about  £70),  and  even  then 
would  accompany  us  for  only  a  distance  of  thirty  miles. 
So  hope  alternated  with  disappointment,  and  every  day 
fear  of  discovery  was  added  to  the  strain  and  trial  of 
imprisonment ;  bands  of  searchers  kept  coming  and 
trying  to  look  into  the  room. 

'  At  midday  on  Thursday,  Mr.  Li  suddenly  appeared, 
and  said,  "  Fly  !  the  Pao-kia-ku  has  come  with  swords 
to  kill  you."  In  two  minutes  all  had  dropped  through 
the  trap-door,  crossed  the  yard,  and  scaled  the  wall,  and 
we  were  back  in  the  devastated  remains  of  our  garden. 
The  sun  was  blazing  hot,  and  none  of  us  had  any  pro- 
tection for  our  heads.  The  infant  began  to  cry,  and  we 
15 


2  26  The  Flight  from  Honan 

thought  all  was  over.  Apart  from  God  we  were  helpless. 
Not  many  minutes  later,  a  man  followed  us  across  the 
wall ;  it  was  impossible  to  avoid  discovery ;  we  lay  still. 
"  Come  back,"  he  said  ;  "  they  have  gone.  It  is  all  right." 
The  revulsion  of  feeling  can  be  better  imagined  than 
described. 

'  On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  after  the  riot,  rain 
fell,  and  afforded  the  opportunity  required  to  escape  to 
another  house.  An  excited  crowd  of  servants  and 
assistants  waited  below  to  disguise  us  all  and  lead  us 
forth  one  by  one  in  the  darkness  and  rain.  After  a  ten 
minutes'  walk,  we  reached  a  large  business  firm,  and  were 
conducted  to  the  back  of  the  building,  and  hidden  in  a 
strong  room  at  the  top  of  the  house.  The  room  was 
small  and  dark,  with  one  window  in  it  eighteen  inches 
high  and  a  doorway  without  a  door.  A  bed  on  one  side 
afforded  a  resting-place  for  the  ladies,  and  we  managed 
to  put  up  a  portion  of  curtain,  and  Mr.  Conway  and 
myself  lay  on  a  rug  on  the  stone  floor. 

'  Every  day  hope  of  escape  seemed  further  off.  The 
city  was  in  a  ferment.  Rioters,  robbers,  and  a  society 
similar  to  that  of  the  Boxers  were  continually  fighting, 
and  the  chief  man  of  the  firm  protecting  us  went  out 
night  by  night  to  guard  the  city.  Besides  a  gun  and  a 
sword,  he  carried  two  heavy-pointed  iron  pins  rather  like 
a  cold  chisel  in  shape.  These  were  inserted  into  his  belt. 
He  said  he  could  throw  these  weapons  with  accuracy  for 
ten  or  twenty  yards,  and  strike  a  man  in  the  eye  and 
kill  him.  A  silent,  taciturn  man,  he  rarely  spoke,  but  was 
evidently  a  man  of  power,  and  as  such  feared  and  re- 
spected by  others.  Twelve  days  were  spent  under  his 
protection,  and  none  of  us  suffered  any  violence,  but  the 
intense  heat  and  confinement  were  proving  very  trying. 
Two  out  of  the  party  became  ill. 


Arrival  at  Hankow  227 

'  One  evening  the  chief  partner  in  the  firm  appeared, 
and  said,  "To-morrow  m.orning  carts  will  be  in  readi- 
ness at  dawn ;  prepare  to  leave."  Before  daylight  we 
crossed  the  courtyard  in  silence,  careful  not  to  wake 
the  many  men  who  were  sleeping  there.  Then  an 
awkward  delay  of  forty  minutes  waiting  for  the  cart 
proved  trying,  because  every  minute  it  was  getting 
lighter.  Eventually  two  carts  arrived,  and  we  started 
just  before  the  sun  was  up.  Ten  minutes  more  were 
spent  at  the  city  gate.  A  bribe  of  one  thousand  cash 
per  cart  had  to  be  given,  and  we  got  through  without 
being  seen  ;  our  landlord  sitting  in  front  and  screening 
us  from  view.  About  two  miles  from  the  city  a  small 
boat  was  waiting,  into  which  we  crept,  and  with  an 
escort  of  four  men  started  down  stream.  Passing  the 
customs  proved  difficult  and  anxious  work.  The  officials 
came  on  board  and  thoroughly  searched  our  cabin,  but 
never  once  of  the  twelve  or  more  times  we  were 
examined  did  they  discover  the  foreigner.  Had  they 
found  us,  our  lives  would  not  have  been  worth  much. 

'  The  escort  and  ourselves  lived  in  the  one  cabin  for 
thirteen  days,  until  Hankow  was  reached  in  safety. 
Here  it  was  their  turn  to  be  frightened ;  they  had  never 
seen  such  large  vessels  as  lay  in  the  Yangtse,  and  were 
only  too  glad  to  start  back  with  the  300  taels  (about  ;^40) 
which  was  the  reward  for  bringing  us  through  in  safety. 
Thus  thirty  days  after  our  station  was  destroyed  we 
reached  Hankow,  ragged  and  dirty,  with  clothing  that 
had  been  lived  in  day  and  night  for  a  month,  but  very 
thankful  to  have  been  brought  through  in  safety  by  One 
who  never  leaves  and  never  forsakes  those  who  put  their 
trust  in  Him.' 

Two    other    remarkable  escapes,    those  of  Mr.   C. 


2  28  The  Flight  from  Honan 

Howard  Bird,  from  Siang-ch'eng  in  Honan  to  T'ai-ho 
in  Gan-hwuy,  and  that  of  Mr.  Argento,  from  Kuang- 
chau  in  Honan  to  Hankow.  Both  belong  to  the 
China  Inland  Mission.  Mr.  Bird's  narrative  runs  as 
follows : — 

'  I  arrived  safely  at  T'ai-ho,  Gan-hwuy,  on  Monday 
evening,  July  24,  1900,  after  a  most  trying  time  on 
the  road  from  Siang-Ch'eng.  I  left  there  on  Wednesday 
morning,  the  nth.  The  previous  two  days  there  had 
been  an  increase  in  the  rumours,  and  the  rowdy  and 
threatening  behaviour  of  the  people  when  the  Swedish 
ladies  passed  through  had  indicated  a  thorough  change 
in  their  attitude  towards  us.  News  also  had  been 
received  of  a  rising  at  Pao-feng,  twenty-three  miles  west, 
where  the  people  were  said  to  be  looting  the  granaries 
of  the  wealthy.  On  the  Tuesday  evening,  the  evangelist 
took  my  card  and  went  to  see  the  mandarin,  but  was 
told  no  protection  would  be  afforded  us  ;  an  edict  had 
been  received  ordering  the  expulsion  of  all  foreigners, 
and  I  must  leave  at  once.  I  waited  till  next  morning, 
when  the  evangelist  and  other  friends  came  and  urged 
me  to  leave  without  a  moment's  delay,  as  the  house  had 
been  watched  during  the  night,  and  the  report  of  a 
massacre  of  foreigners  down  south  had  just  been 
received.  I  was  very  reluctant  to  leave,  but  thought  it 
only  right  to  follow  their  advice.  I  took  nothing  with 
me,  intending  that  my  boxes  should  be  sent  on  later. 
A  man  accompanied  me,  carrying  my  rug,  and  some 
cash  and  silver. 

*  That  day  we  went  thirty  miles.  The  people  were 
all  friendly,  but  they  knew  we  were  fleeing,  from  the 
absence  of  baggage.  Next  morning  we  had  not  gone 
very  far  when  we  were  met  by  a  messenger  from  Mr. 
Powell  at  Chau-kia-keo,  telling  us  of  the  riot  there,  and 


Mr.  Bird*s  Story  229 

of  the  Grades,  and  Mr.  M'Farlane,  and  also  the  Swedish 
sisters,  having  been  robbed.  We  were  then  about  half- 
way to  Chau-kia-keo.  What  to  do  we  did  not  know. 
Just  then  a  man  coming  along  the  road,  seeing  me, 
yelled  at  me  to  go  back,  saying  that  all  the  foreigners 
had  been  killed,  and  so  on.  The  main  road  seemed 
thus  to  be  impracticable,  so  I  decided  to  go  by  the  river. 

*  I  hid  in  the  fields  all  day,  not  daring  to  go  through 
a  village ;  and  my  man  went  on  and  agreed  with  a  boat- 
man to  take  us  down  to  Chau-kia-keo.  The  day  was 
very  hot,  but  I  was  able  to  get  refreshing  drinks  from 
the  wells  in  the  fields.  In  the  afternoon  I  lay  in  a  hut 
in  a  melon  patch,  and  later  on  in  the  crops  by  the  river 
bank.  At  nightfall  my  man  came  back  and  led  me  to 
the  boat. 

'  The  boatman  was  very  friendly,  having  taken  me 
before,  and  the  brother  of  one  of  the  men  was  employed 
in  the  hall  at  Chau-kia-keo.  We  anchored  for  the  night 
outside  the  small  town  of  Siao-iao.  During  the  night  a 
strong  wind  arose,  and  the  boat  became  strained,  and 
this  delayed  our  starting  the  following  morning.  I  sent 
off  the  messenger  from  Chau-kia-keo,  with  a  note  to  Mr- 
Powell,  telling  him  that  I  was  coming.  In  five  minutes 
he  returned,  saying  he  had  forgotten  something.  He 
started  again,  but  back  he  came  once  more,  this  time 
with  the  news  that  three  Swedish  ladies  were  at  the 
place,  only  four  miles  distant,  where  they  had  been 
robbed. 

'  This  frequent  coming  and  going  excited  the 
suspicions  of  a  boy  who  was  standing  near,  and  he 
jumped  on  to  the  boat,  lifted  up  the  mat  under  which  I 
was  lying,  and  discovered  me.  Of  course  he  immediately 
spread  the  news,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  crowd  gathered. 
They  clambered  on  to  the  boat,  seized  me  and  robbed 


230  The  Flight  from  Honan 

me  of  all  my  money  and  the  few  things  I  had  in  my 
cash-bag.  They  then  made  me  get  down  off  the  boat, 
and  pulled  the  clothes  off  my  back,  leaving  me  stripped 
to  the  waist.  I  had  put  my  little  pocket  Bible  in  my 
waist,  and  when  they  felt  that  they  thought  it  must  be 
silver,  and  half  a  dozen  pairs  of  hands  grabbed  at  it.  I 
could  have  laughed,  so  eager  they  each  seemed  to  secure 
the  prize ;  no  one  would  let  go  ;  they  wrenched  furiously 
at  it.  At  last  they  got  it  out,  and  great  was  their 
disgust  on  finding  it  was  only  a  book.  A  boy  standing 
by  suggested  that  they  should  take  my  trousers,  but  a 
bystander  was  indignant  and  rebuked  him.  They  took 
off  my  shoes,  however,  and  then  they  left  me  standing 
there. 

*  I  heard  before  this  that  the  district  mandarin  was  in 
the  town,  and  had  sent  him  my  card ;  but  all  that  the 
officials  did  was  to  come  down  and  insist  on  my  getting 
on  to  the  boat  and  continuing  my  journey.  This  I 
refused  to  do,  as  the  boat  people  were  not  willing, 
naturally  fearing  that  their  cargo  might  be  plundered 
next  if  I  remained  with  them.  So  they  gave  me  an  old 
ragged  shirt  and  a  pair  of  old  shoes,  and  I  got  across  to 
the  other  bank,  my  man  carrying  me  on  his  back.  My 
intention  was  to  strike  across  the  fields  to  the  place 
where  the  Swedish  ladies  were ;  but  I  soon  found  that 
was  impossible.  The  people  came  rushing  from  all 
parts,  and  one  man  seized  my  queue,  and,  drawing  a 
dagger,  presented  it  at  my  heart.  He  also  took  off  my 
cotton  girdle. 

*  I  then  waded  the  river  again,  and,  entering  the 
town  with  my  clothes  all  dripping,  stood  in  the  main 
street,  in  a  shady  place,  determined  at  all  costs  to  see 
the  mandarin  myself.  When  he  came  back  I  made  my 
way  to  the  Yamen,  but  I  was  refused  admission.     They 


Mr.  Bird's  Story 


231 


promised,  however,  to  tell  the  mandarin,  and  to  see 
what  he  would  do  for  the  ladies  and  myself.  For  the 
rest  of  the  day  I  sat  in  a  tea-shop,  in  my  disconsolate 
condition,  a  spectacle  to  all  beholders.  Some  unknown 
friend  bought  me  a  little  bread,  which,  however,  I  could 
not  swallow.  In  the  evening  an  inferior  official  came 
back  with  my  gown  and  shirt,  and  said  I  must  go  on  the 
boat  again  and  leave  for  Chau-kia-keo.  I  replied  that 
this  could  not  be,  as  I  was  not  going  to  leave  without 
knowing  something  about  the  ladies. 

'  That  night  I  slept  in  the  boat,  and  in  the  morning 
again  entered  the  town.  The  official  said  it  was  im- 
possible to  give  the  ladies  and  myself  an  escort,  so  I 
determined  to  make  a  final  attempt  to  see  the  mandarin 
myself,  as  he  descended  from  his  chair  and  entered  the 
Yamen.  That  day  a  Yamen  runner  kept  constantly  by 
my  side,  both  on  the  street  and  in  the  tea-shop.  In  the 
afternoon  I  took  my  stand  at  the  Yamen  gates.  A 
crowd  soon  gathered.  They  tried  to  get  me  to  move 
with  all  sorts  of  promises ;  but,  seeing  I  v/ould  not  go 
away,  two  runners  suddenly  caught  hold  of  me  and 
dragged  me  down  the  street  by  the  hair  of  my  head. 
Some  kind  person  had  returned  me  my  Bible,  but  one  of 
the  runners,  seeing  that  I  treasured  it,  took  it  from  me 
again. 

*  I  now  saw  that  it  was  hopeless  to  expect  help  from 
the  mandarin,  and  I  just  sat  down  by  the  roadside.  In 
this  my  hour  of  extremity  the  Lord  in  a  wonderful  way 
raised  up  a  good  friend  for  me,  who  took  me  to  his 
house  for  the  night.  This  man  was  a  Mohammedan,  as 
were  also  two  others  who  befriended  me.  A  pedlar 
selling  a  sort  of  porridge  gave  me  a  basin  of  it,  and 
would  not  take  any  money,  and  another  selling  black 
bread  gave  me  a  small  loaf.     My  good  friend  stayed  by 


232  The  Flight  from  Honan 

me  for  the  next  four  or  five  days,  gave  me  my  food,  and 
found  me  a  little  room  where  I  lay  hid  for  two  days. 
He  also  sent  messengers  with  letters  to  the  ladies,  but 
these  never  reached  them.  During  these  days,  I  think, 
my  good  friend  did  hardly  anything  else  but  make 
arrangements  for  me. 

'Then  the  water  in  the  river  rose,  and  my  friend 
hired  a  boat  for  me,  to  take  me  to  Chau-kia-keo.  By 
that  time  I  had  heard  definitely  that  the  ladies  had  gone 
on  ;  and  also  that  the  Chau-kia-keo  friends  had  left  with 
an  escort.  I  thought  the  same  mandarins  might  do 
something  for  me.  I  knew  there  were  many  Christians 
in  Chau-kia-keo,  and  I  had  given  my  messenger  some 
silver,  which  I  hoped  I  should  be  able  to  get  when  I 
arrived  there  ;  so  I  started. 

*  At  night-time  I  bid  my  kind  friend  good-bye,  got  on 
to  the  boat,  and  hid  in  a  locker  underneath  the  deck. 
There  I  remained  all  that  night  and  the  next  day. 
When  we  were  not  far  from  Chau-kia-keo,  I  sent  a 
message  to  one  of  the  leading  Christians.  In  reply,  a 
relative  of  his  came  to  tell  me  of  the  condition  in  which 
the  Christians  themselves  were.  Several  of  their  houses 
had  been  pillaged,  and  they  dared  not  show  themselves 
on  the  streets.  After  this  man  had  left,  the  boatman 
offered  to  lead  me  to  the  house  of  the  Christian,  that  I 
might  see  what  was  best  to  be  done.  As  soon  as  he 
got  me  on  shore  he  ran  back,  and  the  boat  moved  off,  and 
I  was  left  standing  on  the  bank — without  a  cash  in  my 
possession,  in  a  great  city  full  of  enemies. 

'  It  was  by  this  time  quite  dark,  and  I  knew  that  the 
gates  would  soon  be  shut,  v/hen  I  should  have  to  sleep  on 
the  bank — a  most  undesirable  place,  for  it  had  been  rain- 
ing, and  everything  was  damp  and  muddy.  As  I  entered 
the  gate,  the  gatekeeper  looked  dismayed  when  he  saw 


Mr.  Bird's  Story  233 

me,  and  wanted  to  know  what  I  was  doing  there.  He 
said  that  I  could  not  possibly  wait  till  daylight,  as  my 
life  would  not  be  safe.  What  to  do  I  did  not  know, 
but  just  cried  to  the  Lord  ;  and,  seeing  the  night-watch 
going  round,  I  appealed  to  the  officer.  He  referred  me 
to  a  gentleman  who  was  just  then  passing  by,  followed 
by  a  soldier  carrying  a  lantern.  This  proved  to  be  the 
mandarin  who  had  befriended  the  Shearer  party.  I 
told  him  my  plight,  but  he  said  he  could  not  help  me, 
but  would  give  me  some  money,  and  advised  me  to  go 
on  to  the  next  city,  six  miles  distant.  I  protested,  but 
he  only  repeated  his  advice  and  moved  on.  By  this 
time  a  small  crowd  had  gathered,  and  all  apparently 
sympathised  with  me,  and  seemed  dismayed  at  the  idea 
of  my  still  remaining  in  the  city. 

'  Some  told  me  to  go  to  the  Yamen,  but  I  did  not 
think  there  was  any  use  in  going  there.  Ultimately, 
however,  there  was  nothing  else  for  it,  and  I  made  my 
way  there  through  the  wet,  dark  streets.  Knocking  I 
knew  would  be  useless,  so  I  just  lay  down  on  the  step 
outside  the  door,  and  prepared  to  spend  the  night  there. 
I  was  only  afraid  that  the  little  money  the  mandarin 
had  given  me  might  be  stolen.  After  lying  there  some 
time,  the  gatekeeper  of  the  street  gate^  came  and 
found  me,  and  let  me  sleep  in  his  little  hole,  a  filthy 
place,  but  still  affording  a  protection  from  the  night 
air. 

*  The  policeman  then  came  and  told  me  that  the 
mandarin  could  not  possibly  help  me ;  he  had  been 
severely  reprimanded  by  his  superiors  for  what  he  had 
already  done  for  the  other  friends.  He  advised  me  to 
leave  at  dawn.     During  the  night  I  had  reason  to  fear 

^  In  a  Chinese  city  the  streets  are  divided  oft'  by  gates,  which  are  locked 
at  night. 


234  The  Flight  from  Honan 

that  the  gatekeeper  was  planning  to  rob  me.  I  could 
hardly  sleep,  and  got  up  before  it  was  light,  and  stole 
away  down  the  street,  and  only  breathed  freely  when 
I  was  well  away  from  the  city. 

*  I  reached  the  next  city,  Shang-shui,  about  breakfast- 
time,  and  made  my  way  to  the  Yamen,  in  the  hope  that 
the  mandarin  might  do  something,  or  that  I  might 
get  news  there  of  the  ladies'  party,  and  might  perhaps 
be  able  to  overtake  them.  My  hopes,  however,  were 
disappointed  ;  the  ladies  had  left  more  than  four  days 
previously,  and  the  mandarin  would  do  nothing  for  me. 
I  stayed  there  the  whole  day,  debating  in  my  mind  and 
praying  about  what  I  ought  to  do.  The  officials  became 
anxious  to  get  me  away,  and  promised  to  escort  me  to 
the  next  city.  It  was  merely  a  pretext,  however,  for  the 
man  they  sent  with  me  only  went  a  short  distance 
outside  the  city  and  then  turned  back,  so  I  turned  back 
also,  much  to  his  chagrin.  They  let  me  sleep  that  night 
in  the  room  where  all  the  Yamen  runners  were.  I  was 
only  too  glad  of  any  shelter. 

*  Next  day,  as  a  last  resource,  I  determined  to  make 
my  way  to  Shui-tsai,  a  town  some  distance  to  the  east, 
where  there  was  a  church  and  a  good  number  of 
Christians.  I  started,  but  when  about  half-way  there  I 
heard  that  that  town  had  been  rioted  as  well,  so  that 
door  seemed  closed  to  me.  On  reaching  Shui-tsai,  I 
thought  it  best  not  to  enter  the  town,  and  asked  a 
passer-by  the  way.  On  perceiving  who  I  was,  he  at 
once  said,  "  Why  don't  you  go  there  ?  "  pointing  to  a 
village  close  at  hand  ;  "  your  friends  are  there  all  right." 
I  set  off,  and  the  first  person  I  met  was  the  son  of  the 
leading  Christian.  He  at  once  took  me  to  his  home, 
and  what  a  welcome  I  received  !  They  gave  me  a  bath 
and  some  dinner,  and  then  made  me  lie  down  and  rest. 


Mr.  Bird's  Story  235 

But  what  cheered  me  most  of  all  was  the  good  news 
that  the  Gan-hwuy  missionaries  had  not  all  gone,  and  I 
had  only  some  forty  miles  to  go  to  reach  T'ai-ho,  where 
there  were  still  two  of  our  missionaries.  Once  there,  I 
should  be  able  to  get  money  or  hire  a  boat,  and  so  get 
down  to  the  coast. 

'  We  left  that  place  at  midnight,  two  of  the  Christians 
accompanying  me.  We  intended  to  go  to  T'ai-ho  by  a 
roundabout  way,  and  hoped  to  reach  there  the  next 
evening.  We  had  not  gone  far,  however,  when  one  of 
my  companions  bethought  himself  of  a  boat  he  knew  of, 
so  we  made  our  way  to  the  river  bank.  The  friend  was 
found ;  he  was  willing  to  take  me  for  a  consideration, 
and  I  got  on  board.  Once  again  my  heart  was  full  of 
gratitude  for  this  help  given,  but  the  usual  dilatoriness 
of  Chinese  boatmen  spoiled  everything.  We  had  wind 
and  water  in  our  favour,  but  they  would  insist  on  waiting 
until  they  had  received  some  money  which  some  of  their 
neighbours  owed  them,  and  they  spent  the  whole  morn- 
ing and  afternoon  counting  over  several  thousands  of 
cash.  Nothing  would  induce  them  to  move;  and  the 
result  was  that  in  the  afternoon  my  hiding-place  was 
discovered ;  and  although  I  had  nothing  of  which  I 
could  be  robbed,  the  boat  people  were  so  frightened  that 
they  refused  to  take  me  with  them.  So  we  had  to  get 
down  and  start  on  foot  again. 

*  I  tied  a  handkerchief  over  my  eyes,  and  pulled  my 
straw  hat  down  over  my  face,  hoping  to  be  able  to  go 
along  unnoticed.  The  two  Christians  had  a  few  cash  in 
their  girdles  ;  beyond  this  we  had  nothing  with  us.  We 
had  gone  some  distance,  and  it  w^as  now  dusk,  when,  as 
we  were  passing  a  place  notorious  for  its  bad  characters, 
two  men  sitting  by  the  roadside  recognised  me,  and  in- 
stantly called  on  me  to  stop.     The  whole  village  turned 


236  The  Flight  from  Honan 

out  in  a  short  time.  Sitting  down  and  talking  to  them 
was  of  no  use.  They  felt  us  all  over  for  silver,  but  found 
none.  Then  they  told  us  we  could  not  go  on,  but  I  must 
stay  in  the  village  that  night.  Three  great  ruffianly- 
looking  fellows  came  up  and  told  me  to  follow,  and  led 
me  into  a  field,  where  they  told  me  to  sit  down.  They 
produced  three  great  swords  and  began  swinging  them 
about  just  over  my  head.  It  was  then  that  I  really 
thought  my  last  moment  had  come.  I  just  lifted  up  my 
heart  to  God.  I  had  no  fear,  only  joy  that  I  should 
soon  see  Jesus.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  They  led  me  to 
another  place,  and  had  some  consultation  amongst  them- 
selves as  to  what  they  should  do  with  me. 

'  It  was  now  quite  dark.  All  this  time  I  did  not 
know  where  my  two  companions  were  ;  but  after  a  time 
they  led  me  to  them.  They  gave  us  a  little  food,  and 
said  we  must  sleep  in  the  open  under  some  trees,  and  in 
the  morning  they  would  decide  what  was  to  be  done. 
Half  a  dozen  or  more  arranged  themselves  in  a  circle 
round  us,  and  continued  talking  till  long  past  mid- 
night. One  fellow  came  up  bringing  some  ropes  and 
chains,  with  which  I  thought  they  were  going  to 
shackle  me.  But  no,  they  thought  they  had  me  so 
completely  in  their  power,  as  I  had  not  a  single  cash 
on  me  and  did  not  know  the  way,  that  I  could  not 
possibly  escape. 

'  All  this  time  I  had  no  light  at  all  as  to  what  to  do, 
as  I  knew  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  run  away  would 
only  make  it  ten  times  worse  for  me,  but  still  I  had 
perfect  peace,  and  slept  soundly.  Waking  just  before 
dawn,  the  thought  seemed  to  come  to  me  that  I  should 
get  up  and  go  to  Shen-kin  Hsien,  a  city  about  eighteen 
miles  due  south.  As  the  men  were  all  sound  asleep,  I 
awoke  one  of  the  Christians  and  told  him  my  intention. 


Mr.  Bird's  Story  237 

I  got  up  and  crept  out  of  the  village,  and  then  ran  for 
dear  life,  not  resting  till  I  was  some  six  or  seven  miles 
away  from  the  place.  It  was  wonderful  that,  although 
It  was  dark  when  I  started,  yet  I  had  hit  upon  a  narrow 
track,  and  it  proved  to  be  the  shortest  way  to  the  city  I 
wanted  to  reach.  T'ai-ho,  of  course,  lay  due  east,  but 
I  knew  they  would  naturally  look  for  me  along  that 
road,  so  I  went  due  south.  I  had  to  pass  through  two 
markets,  and  met  numbers  of  people  on  the  road,  but 
only  two  recognised  me,  and  I  went  on  quickly  without 
saying  anything. 

'  At  length  I  reached  the  city,  tired  and  thirsty  and 
hungry,  having  done  seventeen  miles  without  resting 
or  having  anything  to  eat.  I  made  my  way  to  the 
Yamen,  not  having  the  least  idea  what  kind  of  a  recep- 
tion I  should  receive.  My  surprise  was  great  when  my 
story  was  kindly  listened  to,  and  I  was  taken  into  one 
of  the  inner  rooms  and  given  a  very  good  breakfast. 
Then  I  was  told  that  the  mandarin  had  arranged  to  give 
me  a  cart  to  T'ai-ho,  sending  six  runners  to  escort  me, 
and  giving  me  money  for  the  road  as  well.  It  seemed 
almost  too  good  to  be  true,  but  in  another  half-hour  I 
was  seated  in  a  cart  with  two  soldiers  in  front;  and 
about  ten  o'clock  that  night  we  reached  T'ai-ho. 

'The  city  gates  were  shut,  but  on  sending  in  the 
mandarin's  letter  they  were  at  once  opened,  and  a  great 
array  of  officials  and  soldiers  with  big  lanterns  ushered 
me  into  the  city  and  escorted  me  to  the  house.  What  a 
welcome  I  had  from  the  brethren  in  T'ai-ho  !  They  had 
long  since  given  me  up,  and  imagined  I  must  have  gone 
some  other  way.  I  can  never  praise  God  enough  for 
His  goodness  in  preserving  me  all  these  days ;  and  how 
much  I  must  have  owed  all  that  time  to  the  prayers  of 
all  friends !     These  days  one  has  just  felt  upborne  on 


238  The  Flight  from  Honan 

the  arms  of  prayer,  knowing  that  so  many  were  praying 
for  us.' 


The  following  is  Mr.  Argento's  story : — 
'There  had  been  rumours  of  trouble  and  much 
unrest  at  my  station  of  Kwang  Chau,  but  they  had 
not  alarmed  me  at  all.  On  Sunday  morning,  July  8, 
one  of  the  Christians,  a  boy  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
told  me  that  people  were  saying  on  the  street  that  they 
would  come  either  that  day  or  the  following  and  pull 
the  house  down  and  kill  me  and  all  the  Christians.  I 
told  him  not  to  be  afraid  about  that.  "  Let  them  say 
what  they  will."  Half  an  hour  before  the  time  for  the 
evening  meeting,  I  was  engaged  choosing  the  hymns, 
when  1  heard  a  crowd  of  people  rush  into  the  premises, 
making  a  great  noise.  I  came  quickly  out  of  my  study 
to  see  what  was  going  on,  and  I  saw  the  "  k'eh-fang" 
(guest-hall)  just  crammed  with  people.  They  called 
out  that  they  wanted  me  to  preach  to  them ;  but  having 
heard  that  they  had  come  on  purpose  to  make  trouble, 
I  went  back  to  my  study  to  fetch  a  card,  intending  to 
try  to  go  to  the  Yamen,  but  people  with  knives  in  their 
hands  were  keeping  the  door,  and  I  could  not  get  out. 
The  street  was  packed  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  the 
house  surrounded.  It  had  only  the  one  exit,  at  the  front. 
*  I  shouted  to  the  servant  to  bring  some  benches  to 
the  "  k'eh-fang "  for  the  people  to  sit  on.  They  were 
still  coming  in  great  numbers,  so  I  stood  between  the 
table  and  the  wall  and  tried  to  preach  to  them  a  little. 
I  had  only  said  a  few  words  when  I  was  told  it  was 
useless  to  preach,  for  their  motive  in  coming  was  not 
to  listen  to  the  Gospel,  but  to  kill  me  on  account  of 
my  being  a  "  ma-hu-tsi  "  (bewitcher).  I  tried  to  explain 
to  them  that  that  was  false ;  we  missionaries  came  with 


Mr.  Argento^s  Escape  239 

the  Gospel  of  peace,  to  let  them  know  that  all  the 
people  of  the  earth  are  one  great  family,  and  as  such 
ought  to  love  one  another;  not  only  so,  but  we  also 
brought  to  them  a  message  of  salvation. 

'  Seeing  that  they  would  not  listen  to  these  words, 
but  rather  became  more  rowdy,  and  some  of  the  rioters 
surrounding  me,  I  invited  one  of  them,  as  if  he  had 
been  a  friend,  just  to  tell  the  people  to  be  quiet,  and 
to  explain  to  them  that  we  were  their  best  friends,  and 
had  come  to  do  them  good.  So  this  man  jumped 
on  to  the  table,  and  with  great  gesticulations,  and 
shouting  at  the  pitch  of  his  voice,  tried  to  quiet  them, 
explaining  what  I  had  told  him  ;  but  he  had  only  spoken 
a  moment  or  two  when  he  was  told  to  get  down  ;  and 
the  people  rushing  towards  the  table  tried  to  crush  me 
between  it  and  the  wall.  Then  I  asked  some  people 
who  were  standing  at  my  right  hand  to  resist  the 
pushing  of  the  table.  They  did  so  for  a  little  while, 
but  seeing  it  was  unsuccessful,  exhorted  me  to  go  to 
the  back  part  of  the  house.  I  did  not  do  so,  feeling 
that  there  was  no  way  of  escape  there. 

*  Suddenly  one  of  the  ringleaders,  coiling  up  his 
queue  on  his  head,  pulling  up  his  sleeve,  grasped  hold 
of  my  queue  and  tried  to  strike  me  on  the  breast. 
Some  others  took  hold  of  my  gown,  striking  at  me  on 
every  side  and  trying  to  pull  me  outside  the  "  k'eh-fang  " 
(guest  -  room).  Then  some  one  gave  a  blow  to  the 
lamp,  which  fell  and  broke,  and  we  were  left  in  com- 
plete darkness.  I  at  once  made  an  effort,  got  my 
queue  out  of  their  grasp  by  a  sudden  pull,  and,  loosing 
my  gown,  left  it  with  them.  I  threw  myself  on  the 
ground,  to  be  out  of  reach  of  their  hands,  and  succeed- 
ing in  reaching  a  corner,  crouched  down  into  as  little 
space  as  possible.     Having  thus  freed  myself  from  their 


240  The  Flight  from  Honan 

hands,  they  thought  I  had  run  away,  and  so  began  to 
smash  doors,  screens,  and  benches,  and  all  they  found 
in  the  "k'eh-fang."  One  of  the  screens  falling  under 
their  blows  partly  covered  me. 

'  Nearly  everything  in  the  "  k'eh-fang  "  having  been 
destroyed,  they  then  made  a  rush  for  the  front  "  leo " 
(upper  storey),  and  I  availed  myself  of  the  interval  to 
crawl  underneath  the  table,  where  I  was  less  cramped 
and  should  be  less  easily  seen.  It  was  not  possible 
to  get  out,  on  account  of  the  crowds  surrounding  the 
house.  After  they  had  finished  in  the  front  "  leo,"  down 
they  came  again  and  made  a  rush  for  the  back.  From 
under  the  table  I  could  see  the  work  of  destruction 
going  on.  After  having  looted  or  destroyed  what  was 
to  be  found  at  the  back  and  in  my  study,  they  wanted 
a  light  to  hunt  after  valuables.  They  found  some  straw, 
and  dipping  it  in  kerosene,  made  a  torch  of  it.  As 
soon  as  they  had  the  light  they  began  dividing  the 
spoil,  and  when  they  could  find  no  more  they  spoke  of 
setting  the  house  and  debris  on  fire.  So  they  set  to 
work,  got  together  a  pile  of  wood,  and  poured  kerosene 
on  it.  The  torch  was  burning  out,  but  one  man  lifted 
it  up  from  the  ground  and  was  bringing  it  toward  the 
pile  of  wood,  when  he  saw  a  chair  near  the  table  and 
came  over  to  take  it  away.  The  light  revealed  me, 
and  with  a  rush  they  got  hold  of  me  and  dragged 
me  from  under  the  table  and  on  to  the  pile  of  wood. 
Others  took  up  the  benches  and  struck  me  with  them. 

*  Some  of  the  neighbours,  fearing  that  if  they  burnt 
the  house  their  own  houses  would  be  in  danger,  objected 
to  their  burning  it.  "  The  house, "  they  said,  "  is  only 
rented,  and  does  not  belong  to  him."  Then  the  rioters 
replied,  "  Well,  never  mind,  we  will  not  burn  the  house ; 
we  will  only  burn  him."     And  saying  this  they  poured 


Mr.  Argento*s  Escape  241 

kerosene  on  my  clothes  and  set  them  on  fire.  Friendly 
neighbours,  however,  quickly  quenched  the  flames,  tearing 
off  the  burning  part  of  the  garment,  whilst  others  were 
dragging  me  away  by  the  queue  to  save  me.  I  was  lying 
with  my  face  to  the  ground.  The  rioters,  seeing  these 
neighbours  wanted  to  save  me,  got  hold  of  a  pole,  and 
began  to  strike  me  on  the  head  and  all  over  my  body. 
I  tried  to  protect  my  head  with  my  hands,  but  had  not 
reached  the  doorsteps  when  a  very  heavy  blow  inflicted 
on  my  head  caused  me  to  lose  consciousness.  I  com- 
mended my  soul  into  God's  keeping,  and  knew  nothing 
further. 

'  I  remained  unconscious  for  two  days.  When  I  re- 
opened my  eyes  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  July  ii, 
I  found  myself  on  the  platform  in  the  chapel,  lying  on 
a  "  p'u-kai "  (native  bedding),  soaked  with  blood,  and  my 
head  still  bleeding.  The  Christians  told  me  that  some 
of  the  rioters  dragged  me  on  to  the  street  and  wanted  to 
cut  off  my  head,  but  others  opposed  this,  saying,  "  That 
is  no  use,  when  he  is  dead  already."  Afterwards,  on  the 
same  night,  the  mandarin  came,  and,  seeing  me  lying  on 
the  public  street,  ordered  his  underlings  to  carry  me 
inside  and  put  me  on  a  bed.  No  bed  was  to  be  found, 
so  they  left  me  on  some  unbroken  boards  of  the  platform. 
Some  of  the  Christians  by  turns  had  watched  me  during 
the  nights. 

'  After  I  became  conscious,  I  was  terribly  thirsty  and 
feverish.  The  Christians  brought  me  food,  but  I  could 
not  eat  anything ;  I  only  eagerly  drank  all  the  water 
they  brought  me.  Some  of  the  gentry,  discovering  that 
I  had  regained  consciousness,  spread  it  abroad,  wanting 
the  rioters  to  come  back  and  cut  off  my  head. 

'  When  the  mandarin  knew  this,  fearing  that  I  might 
die  in  Kwang  Chau,  and  he  be  held  responsible  for  all 
16 


242  The  Flight  from  Honan 

that  had  happened,  he  decided  to  send  me  away  to  Chau- 
kia-keo,  a  hundred  and  forty  miles  north,  thinking  that  I 
should  certainly  die  on  the  road,  and  so  he  would  be  freed 
from  blame,  as  he  would  be  reported  as  having  helped 
my  escape  to  where  I  could  obtain  medical  treatment. 
The  gentry,  having  heard  that  the  mandarin  was  friendly 
inclined  towards  me,  presented  him  with  a  petition, 
threatening  to  murder  him  if  he  allowed  me  to  leave 
Kwang  Chau  either  dead  or  alive. 

'  In  the  evening  the  mandarin  visited  me,  and  sug- 
gested, as  a  safe  plan  to  get  me  out  of  the  city,  that  I 
should  be  carried  along  in  a  coffin.  I  feared,  however, 
that  I  should  either  die  for  want  of  sufficient  air,  or  that 
the  soldiers  and  bearers  would  bury  me  alive,  or  throw 
the  coffin  into  the  river,  so  I  would  not  consent,  although 
the  mandarin  promised  to  put  breathing-holes  in  the  lid. 
I  said  I  would  rather  die  in  the  chapel.  Some  of  the 
Christians  suggested  to  him  to  put  me  on  a  bamboo 
stretcher,  with  an  awning  to  protect  me  from  the  sun. 
He  agreed  to  this,  so  about  midnight  one  was  brought 
by  eight  bearers.  The  mandarin  came  himself,  with  an 
escort  of  fifty  footmen,  twenty  horsemen — all  armed — 
and  some  few  attendants.  He  led  the  way  on  horseback 
out  through  the  west  gate,  and  escorted  the  party 
for  twelve  miles  towards  Chau-kia-keo.  When  he 
left  us  he  said  to  me  that  he  would  punish  the  ringleaders, 
and  exhorted  the  soldiers  to  take  good  care  of  me.  To- 
wards dusk  (Thursday,  July  12)  we  arrived  at  Si  Hsien, 
thirty  miles  from  Kwang  Chau,  where  we  stopped  to 
pass  the  night  and  to  exchange  escort. 

'  Next  morning,  Friday,  July  1 3,  we  started  towards 
Sin-ts'ai  Hsien,  one  hundred  li  north  of  Si  Hsien.  That 
day  we  travelled  twenty-seven  miles.  When  we  passed 
through  any  market-place,  people  would  come  out  and 


Mr.  Argento's  Escape  243 

examine  the  stretcher.  They  were  very  much  excited 
and  unfriendly,  calling  out  to  kill  the  foreigner ;  but  the 
soldiers  kept  them  in  check,  and  ordered  the  bearers  to 
go  quickly.  Next  day,  Saturday,  July  14,  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  we  reached  the  Sin-ts'ai  Yamen. 
The  escort  was  to  be  changed  there  again.  A  great 
crowd  of  people  ran  excitedly  into  the  courtyard  of  the 
Yamen,  and,  in  spite  of  all  the  soldiers  could  do,  pulled 
off  the  awning  and  tried  to  smash  the  stretcher  itself. 
Then  the  mardarin  gave  orders  to  take  me  into  a  room 
and  not  allow  the  people  in.  After  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
wait  there,  the  new  escort  was  ready,  and,  the  awning 
having  been  repaired,  on  we  went  towards  Hiang-ch'eng 
Hsien,  distant  a  farther  thirty-seven  miles. 

'  Even  at  this  time,  in  getting  out  from  the  Yamen, 
the  people  tried  once  more  to  smash  the  stretcher,  and 
they  took  away  my  shoes  and  socks ;  and  then,  whilst 
we  were  going,  men  and  women  crowded  round,  stopping 
the  bearers  every  now  and  then  to  look  at  the  "  foreign 
devil." 

'  I  was  a  little  better  that  day,  and,  for  the  first  time, 
I  could  take  a  little  "  hsi-fan  "  (rice  gruel)  that  they  gave 
me.  After  we  had  travelled  ten  miles,  a  thunderstorm 
suddenly  broke  upon  us ;  the  rain  pelted  down,  quickly 
soaking  the  awning  and  wetting  us  all  through  and 
through,  and  the  wind  blew  like  a  hurricane.  The  bearers 
cursed  and  swore.  Soon  after,  we  reached  a  small  inn, 
where  we  stopped  for  the  night. 

'Next  day,  Sunday,  July  15,  we  arrived  at  Hsiang- 
ch'eng  Hsien,  about  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  bearers  left  me  outside  the  door  of  the  Yamen,  at  the 
mercy  of  thousands  of  enemies,  who  crowded  round  from 
every  direction.  They  thought  I  was  dead,  for  I  did  not 
move   or  make   a   sound,  although   they   pinched   me 


244  The  Flight  from  Honan 

pulled  my  hair,  and  knocked  me  about — an  ordeal  which 
lasted  an  hour  long ;  after  which  the  mandarin  ordered 
some  underlings  to  take  me  into  a  room  and  close  the 
door. 

'  On  the  morrow,  Monday,  July  i6,  about  3.30  a.m.,  I 
was  carried  out  into  the  yard,  and,  hearing  them  speak 
of  going  southward,  I  asked  the  soldiers  and  Yamen 
runners  what  that  meant,  and  told  them  that,  unless  I 
saw  the  mandarin,  I  would  not  start ;  so  saying,  1  made 
an  effort  to  get  down  from  the  stretcher,  to  sit  in  the  court- 
yard ;  but  they  took  hold  of  me  and  put  me  back,  and 
ordered  the  bearers  to  start  off  quickly.  On  my  complain- 
ing of  this  mode  of  treatment,  one  of  the  older  ones  told 
me  that  the  mandarin  would  not  let  me  go  on,  and  had 
given  orders  to  send  me  back  to  Kwang  Chau. 

'  Late  that  evening  we  reached  Sin-ts'ai  again,  where 
the  mandarin,  having  heard  that  the  Hiang-ch'eng  official, 
would  not  receive  me,  treated  me  very  uncivilly,  leaving 
me  all  night  in  the  open  courtyard  exposed  to  the  rain, 
which  drizzled  down  and  wet  me. 

*  The  following  morning,  Tuesday,  July  17,  the 
mandarin,  thinking  my  being  carried  on  a  bamboo 
stretcher  was  too  grand  a  style,  ordered  the  Yamen 
runners  to  move  me  from  it  on  to  a  wheel-barrow.  1  re- 
monstrated, saying  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  travel 
on  a  wheel-barrow,  on  account  of  my  being  covered  with 
wounds  and  bruises,  which  would  not  allow  me  to  stand 
or  sit ;  my  head  was  giddy,  and  I  could  not  bear  the  sun 
without  head  protection.  I  asked  to  see  the  mandarin, 
wanting  to  represent  to  him  that,  since  the  Kwang  Chau 
official  had  sent  me  by  stretcher,  I  must  at  any  rate 
return  in  the  same  way  ;  but  the  underlings  paid  no  heed 
to  me,  except  to  say  unpleasant  words,  '*  Pitch  him  into 
the  barrow  like  a  bag  of  foreign  goods."     Then  they  got 


Mr.  Argento's  Escape  245 

hold  of  me  and  put   me  roughly  on  the  barrow  and 
started  off. 

'  The  jolting  on  the  uneven  road  and  the  fearful  heat 
of  the  sun  beating  down,  caused  me  excruciating  pain, 
and  reopened  my  wounds.  We  went  twenty-three  miles 
that  day.  The  mandarin  had  given  no  money  for  food 
for  me,  and  if  the  Lord  had  not  touched  the  heart  of  one 
of  the  soldiers,  who  pitied  me,  I  should  have  had  nothing 
to  eat  all  day.  The  following  morning,  Wednesday, 
July  18,  about  noon,  we  were  back  at  Si  Hsien.  The 
mandarin  did  not  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  me, 
and  left  me  in  the  Yamen  yard,  and  soon  a  large  crowd 
came  around. 

*  Some  two  months  previously,  I  had  visited  Si  Hsien 
on  a  tour  for  preaching  and  selling  books.  A  man  con- 
nected with  the  Yamen,  named  Chao,  had  invited  me  to 
preach  outside  his  door,  where  he  had  placed  a  table  and 
chair  and  kept  me  provided  with  tea.  He  was  very 
much  interested  in  the  Gospel.  Hearing  that  I  was  now 
in  the  Yamen  amongst  such  a  crowd  of  people,  he  came 
and  told  the  barrow-man  to  push  me  to  his  house,  where 
he  soon  prepared  a  bed  for  me  to  lie  on,  and  gave  me 
tea,  and  afterwards  a  good  dinner. 

'  I  told  him  my  story,  and,  on  hearing  of  the  uncivil 
manner  in  which  I  was  treated  by  the  mandarin,  and 
how  he  did  not  give  me  any  travelling  money,  he 
presented  me  with  one  hundred  large  cash,  telling  me 
not  to  spend  them  whilst  I  was  his  guest,  but  to  keep 
them  for  my  journey  back  to  Kwang  Chau.  Moreover, 
as  I  was  without  "  k'u-tsi "  (trousers)  and  socks  and  shoes, 
he  interested  some  friends  to  provide  me  with  them. 

'  Owing  to  heavy  rains,  I  was  his  guest  for  three  days, 
and  during  this  time  with  them  I  had  three  meals  a 
day,  and  he  gave  me  fresh  tea  from  morning  till  night. 


246  The  Flight  from  Honan 

Many  visitors,  both  men  and  women,  came  to  see  me, 
sympathising  with  my  sufferings  ;  and  I  had  the  privilege 
of  preaching  to  them,  in  the  best  way  I  could,  the 
message  of  salvation. 

'  On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  there,  Friday,  July 
20,  Mr.  Chao's  family  tried  to  persuade  me  to  stay  in 
Si  Hsien,  rather  than  return  to  Kwang  Chau,  inviting 
me  to  continue  to  be  their  guest  until  I  was  better,  and 
saying  they  would  try  to  collect  travelling  money  for 
me,  say  eight  hundred  or  nine  hundred  cash,  to  send  me 
down  to  Hankow.  To  this  I  answered  that  I  expected 
word  from  the  mandarin,  and  next  day,  early  in  the 
morning  —  it  was  Saturday,  July  21 — he  sent  a  sedan 
chair  and  a  few  soldiers  to  escort  me  to  Kwang  Chau. 

'  We  arrived  at  the  Yamen  there  at  half-past  four  in 
the  afternoon.  I  was  left  in  the  yard  four  hours,  all  the 
time  being  at  the  mercy  of  large  crowds  of  enemies,  who 
abused  me  and  mocked  me,  saying,  "  God  has  brought 
you  safely  back,  has  He?  Your  God  cannot  save  you. 
Jesus  is  dead ;  He  is  not  in  the  world  ;  He  cannot  give 
real  help.  Our  Kwan-ti  (God  of  War)  is  much 
stronger ;  he  protects  us,  and  he  has  sent  the  Boxers  to 
pull  down  your  house  and  to  kill  you  " ;  and  thus  saying 
they  spat  on  my  face,  and  threw  mud  and  melon  peel  at 
me,  and  did  what  they  liked.  Some  pinched  me,  others 
pulled  my  queue,  and  others  expressed  themselves  in 
the  most  vile  way.  All  the  time  I  did  not  answer  a 
word.  Some  of  the  Christians  came  to  see  me,  but  had 
to  run  for  their  lives. 

*  At  half-past  eight,  the  mandarin,  being  afraid  that 
the  people  would  kill  me  in  the  courtyard,  ordered  that 
eight  Yamen  runners  should  carry  me  outside  the  city 
in  a  sedan  chair  towards  Lo-shan  Hsien.  On  the  way 
they  told  the  people  that  they  were  carrying  me  to  the 


Mr.  Argento's  Escape  247 

execution  grounds.  The  night  was  dark,  and  we  were 
travelling  by  lantern  light,  so  we  only  went  about  three 
miles.  The  day  after,  Sunday,  July  22,  they  carried  me 
without  disturbance  twenty-seven  miles  farther,  to  a  place 
called  Chau-ho-tien.  I  had  visited  there  twice  before, 
and  many  came  and  recognised  me,  but  did  not  make 
any  trouble. 

'Next  morning,  Monday,  July  23,  about  3.30,  I  got 
into  the  chair,  and  they  carried  me  for  a  short  distance, 
and  then  they  asked  me  to  dismount  and  let  them 
tighten  up  the  chair.  No  sooner  had  I  left  it  than  they 
took  up  the  poles  and  away  they  went  back  to  Kwang 
Chau.  One  of  the  mandarin's  attendants  still  remained, 
and  he  told  me  that  they  had  no  official  letter,  and  so 
were  unable  to  escort  me  to  Lo-shan  Hsien,  and  that 
now  I  was  free  to  do  what  I  thought  best.  I  talked  to 
him,  and  asked  him  if  the  mandarin  had  not  left  him 
any  money  for  me.  He  said,  "  No,"  but  afterwards 
produced  four  hundred  cash,  and  then  left  me  in  the 
darkness.  There  on  the  spot  I  prayed  for  guidance, 
and  waited  till  the  sun  rose. 

'Then  I  walked  on  past  Lo-shan  Hsien,  intending 
to  go  to  Sing-yang  Chau,  where  I  had  heard  that  there 
were  some  foreigners  prospecting  for  a  railway.  At  Lo- 
shan  the  people  called  out,  "  The  Bewitcher,"  and  wanted 
to  kill  me ;  but  others  said,  "  He  is  only  a  Canton  man." 
They  followed  me  some  distance,  and  then  returned.  At 
noon  I  stopped  at  a  small  inn  four  miles  beyond  Lo- 
shan  Hsien.  After  dinner  I  rested  till  five  o'clock,  and 
then  proceeded  on  my  way,  but  I  had  only  walked  a 
short  distance  when  I  seemed  to  hear  an  inner  voice 
saying  to  me, "  Do  not  go  on,"  and  I  returned  to  the  inn. 
The  landlord  was  surprised  to  see  me  back.  I  told  him 
that  I  was  footsore,  and  so  could  not  get  on  that  day. 


248  The  Flight  from  Honan 

'During  the  evening,  some  thirty  men,  armed  with 
swords  and  spikes,  stopped  at  the  inn,  and  asked  very- 
excitedly  if  the  innkeeper  had  seen  a  "foreign  devil" 
passing  by  that  morning,  and  saying  that  they  were 
hunting  after  him  to  kill  him.  The  innkeeper  answered 
in  the  negative,  and  the  men  began  angrily  cursing  the 
foreigner. 

'  I  was  lying  down  on  the  floor  with  my  face  turned 
to  the  wall  and  my  head  partly  covered  with  my  hand, 
so  they  did  not  recognise  me ;  but  I  heard  all  they  said, 
all  their  plans  to  overtake  and  kill  me,  and  their  con- 
jectures that  I  was  farther  on  the  road  to  Sin-yang  Chau. 
They  talked  for  a  long  while,  but  started  off  very  early 
in  the  morning.  A  little  later,  I  too  left  the  inn.  It 
was  Tuesday,  July  24 ;  I  had  walked  five  miles,  and  was 
feeling  very  weary,  as  if  I  could  not  go  much  farther, 
and  for  a  time  felt  very  despondent,  when  I  saw  a  man 
coming  from  the  opposite  direction.  As  he  neared  me 
he  stopped  and  looked  very  closely  at  me,  and  again 
went  on.  We  passed  one  another,  and  then  he  stopped 
again.  I  turned  round,  and  then  he  asked  if  I  was  not 
Mr.  Ai  (my  Chinese  name). 

*  Being  doubtful  of  the  man,  I  did  not  answer,  but 
only  asked  him  his  name  and  where  he  came  from.  He 
told  me  that  he  was  a  Mr.  Lo,  of  a  place  called  U-li-tien, 
and  then  I  remembered  having  seen  him  two  years 
before  at  the  city  of  Su-ning  Fu.  As  soon  as  I  let  him 
know  who  I  was,  he  came  towards  me,  and,  bursting 
into  tears,  told  me  that  he  had  heard  that  I  had  been 
killed.  He  offered  to  turn  back  and  accompany  me  to 
Hankow,  so  I  told  him  that  I  had  hardly  any  money. 
He  said  he  would  get  some  from  his  house,  which  was 
on  the  way  to  Hankow.     So  we  started  off  together. 

'When  we  were  near  U-li-tien,  leaving  me  at  an  inn 


Mr.  Argento's  Escape  249 

on  the  farther  side  of  the  river,  he  returned  and  fetched 
money  and  dinner  for  me,  and  clothes.  After  dinner  we 
went  on  towards  Hankow,  and  by  his  help,  after  a 
week's  more  travelling,  during  which  our  lives  were 
three  times  at  stake,  I  reached  Hankow  safely.  We 
journeyed  partly  on  foot,  partly  by  barrow,  partly  in 
sedan  chair,  partly  by  boat,  and  on  Tuesday  morning, 
July  31,  we  reached  our  journey's  end,  glad  to  have  the 
dangers  and  sufferings  over,  and  to  be  able  to  get  rest 
and  medical  treatment.' 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

In  the  month  of  May  1900,  the  condition  of  the 
province  of  Shantung  seemed  unusually  peaceful  and 
quiet.  Since  the  time  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  Brooks, 
which  occurred  in  the  preceding  month  of  December, 
the  reports  concerning  the  Boxer  movement  had  caused 
considerable  anxiety,  especially  to  the  large  number  of 
missionaries  resident  in  the  province.  The  removal  of 
Yii  Hsien,  and  the  arrival  of  the  new  military  Governor, 
Yuan  Shih-k'ai,  bringing  as  it  did  a  policy  of  repression 
towards  the  Boxers,  made  the  situation  more  tranquil 
and  the  prospects  of  peace  more  sure. 

Missionary  work  was  being  prosecuted  as  usual,  and 
no  one  foresaw  the  events  which  rapidly  transpired. 
Early  in  June  the  news  from  the  north  became  more 
and  more  disquieting.  The  murders  of  Messrs.  Norman 
and  Robinson,  of  the  S.P.G.  Mission  at  Yung  Ch'ing,  the 
attack  on  the  engineers  on  the  Lu  Han  railway  line, 
and  the  desperate  fighting  which  alone  enabled  them  to 
force  their  way  to  Tien-tsin,  were  ominous  signs  of  the 
coming  storm.  Then  the  news  of  the  burning  of  bridges 
and  destruction  of  the  railway  line  between  Tien-tsin  and 
Peking  ;  the  siege  in  Peking  itself,  and  the  taking  of  the 
Taku  forts  by  the  allies,  made  it  apparent  that  the 
residence  of  missionaries  in  the   interior  of  China  was 

250 


Mr.  Fowler's  Energy  251 

becoming  dangerous.  This  conviction  impressed  itself 
on  Mr.  John  Fowler,  the  United  States  Consul  in 
Chefoo,  who,  with  characteristic  energy,  set  about  to 
secure  the  safety  of  the  missionaries  in  the  province 
o{  Shantung,  of  which  a  large  number  were  under  his 
consular  authority,  as  citizens  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 

He  secured  the  able  and  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
Rev.  George  Cornwell,  of  the  American  Presbyterian 
Mission  in  Chefoo,  as  well  as  the  no  less  able  and 
generous  assistance  of  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Hamilton,  also 
of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  stationed  in  Chi- 
nan-fu,  the  provincial  capital.  These  three  took  upon 
themselves  the  responsibility  of  urging  upon  the  entire 
body  of  missionaries  resident  in  the  province,  the 
necessity  of  seeking  safety  in  flight  to  the  coast.  They 
placed  before  all  concerned,  by  means  of  the  free  use  of 
telegraphic  communication,  the  gravity  of  the  situation. 
When  Governor  Yuan  received  the  fatal  telegram  from 
Peking  ordering  all  foreigners  to  be  killed,  and  the 
Imperial  edict  following  endorsing  it,  he,  while  wisely 
refusing  to  issue  it,  communicated  to  Mr.  Hamilton  his 
fears  for  the  safety  of  the  missionaries  in  his  jurisdiction 
and,  while  promising  protection  in  going  to  the  coast, 
urged  that  there  should  be  no  unnecessary  delay  in 
making  the  journey. 

Then  Mr.  Fowler,  on  his  own  responsibility,  hired  a 
small  Japanese  coasting  steamer  in  Chefoo,  and  sent  her, 
with  Mr.  Cornwell  on  board,  to  the  port  of  Yang-chia- 
kou,  which  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal  which  connects 
the  provincial  capital  with  the  coast,  in  order  to  receive 
the  parties  of  missionaries,  with  their  wives  and  families, 
who  were  seeking  safety  in  flight.  The  experiences  of 
one  of  these  parties  of  refugees  is  as  follows  : — 


252       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

On  the  morning  of  June  21,  a  party  of  twenty-one 
souls,  forming  the  missionary  community,  left  T'ai-ngan- 
fu  (which  is  situated  two  days'  journey  south-west  of  the 
provincial  capital),  to  make  their  way  to  the  coast  via 
Chi-nan-fu  and  the  canal.  In  this  party  were  the 
venerable  Dr.  and  Mrs.  T.  P.  Crawford,  of  the  Gospel 
Mission  (the  former  over  eighty  years  of  age),  and  an 
infant  a  few  weeks  old,  several  girls,  and  a  considerable 
proportion  of  women.  It  comprised  Anglicans,  Baptists, 
and  Methodists.  The  leave-taking  was  very  pathetic ; 
the  poor  native  Christians  who  had  to  be  left  behind 
hung  about  with  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  voices 
trembling  with  emotion,  and  the  foreigners  felt  that  in 
very  deed  they  might  never  see  them  again. 

Personal  baggage  had  to  be  rigidly  cut  down  to  the 
smallest  dimensions,  and  the  time  which  had  been  given 
for  getting  ready  was  so  limited  that  everything  had  to 
be  left  in  a  hasty  way,  and  no  proper  preparation  for  a 
long  journey  was  possible.  The  cavalcade  was  a  curious 
medley  of  luggage  and  passenger  barrows,  sedan  chairs, 
four  men  on  bicycles,  servants  on  donkeys,  soldiers  as 
escort  on  foot  and  on  horseback  ;  altogether  the  number 
of  persons  amounted  to  over  seventy.  On  the  afternoon 
of  the  second  day,  Chi-nan-fu  was  reached  without 
accident  or  special  cause  for  alarm.  Here  were  found 
other  missionary  refugees,  and  the  whole  party  were 
finally  got  off  on  the  canal  in  a  flotilla  of  fifty  flat- 
bottomed  boats,  and  some  house-boats,  which  had  been 
previously  engaged  by  Mr.  Hamilton  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  in  Chi-nan-fu. 

The  remainder  of  the  story  is  graphically  told  by  a 
lady  ^  of  the  party  as  follows  : — 

^  Mrs.  H.  J.  Brown,  sister  of  Rev.  S.  ^l.  W.  Brooks,  murdered  near 
P'ing  Yin,  December  30.  1899. 


Flight  from  Chi-nan-fu  253 

'  Our  soldier  escort  behaved  splendidly  throughout. 
There  were  several  boat-loads  of  them,  and  at  night  half 
of  them  patrolled  the  river  banks,  while  the  other  half 
remained  in  the  boats.  Every  night  we  anchored  near 
some  village,  and  it  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  all  the 
craft  lighted  up,  and  the  different  lights  reflected  in  the 
still  waters.  One  night,  about  midnight,  the  soldiers 
were  all  called  up,  as  a  band  of  robbers  had  arranged  to 
attack  us.  An  attack  by  Chinese  robbers  is  indeed  a 
terrible  thing.  However,  when  they  found  themselves 
met  by  such  a  splendid  set  of  armed  men,  they  thought 
better  of  their  project,  and  decamped.  Like  many 
others,  I  knew  nothing  of  the  danger  until  morning  had 
broken,  having  slept  soundly  throughout. 

*  So  far  every  one  had  stood  the  heat  and  discomfort 
fairly  well,  while  I  had  nothing  much  worse  than  an 
intolerable  thirst,  which  no  amount  of  tea-drinking  would 
alleviate.  We  had  two  doctors  with  us, — an  American 
lady  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  Mission  at  Chi-nan-fu, 
and  an  Englishman  belonging  to  the  English  Methodist 
Mission  at  Laoling,  a  station  lying  between  Chi-nan  and 
Tien-tsin.  The  latter  had  been  married  about  a  month 
when  he  had  to  leave.  His  wife  told  me  that  she  had 
just  put  the  finishing  touches  to  her  little  home  the  day 
before  they  fled.  Like  ourselves,  they  had  to  leave 
everything  behind.  Poor  old  Dr.  Crawford  and  Mrs. 
Crawford  were  among  the  refugees.  They  bore  up 
wonderfully,  in  spite  of  their  eighty  and  seventy  years 
of  age  respectively.  Their  great  wish  was  to  be  allowed 
to  die  in  China,  having  spent  the  greater  part  of  their 
lives  there — close  on  fifty  years. 

'On  June  26  we  arrived  at  Yang-chia-kou,  a  large 
trading  village  on  the  banks  of  the  canal.  There  we 
exchanged  our  small  boats  for  two  Chinese  junks,  the 


254      The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

Gospel  Mission  getting  into  one,  while  the  rest  of  us 
occupied  the  other.  These  junks  are  very  rough 
specimens  of  boats,  with  one  or  two  big  sails,  and  a 
couple  of  oars  at  the  stern,  fixed,  and  worked  to  and  fro 
by  the  Chinese  sailors,  who  sing  in  a  curious,  weird  kind 
of  way  as  they  swing  backwards  and  forwards.  Of 
course  there  is  no  accommodation  for  passengers,  as  they 
are  merely  cargo  boats — no  cabin,  no  anything.  But 
that  didn't  much  matter,  as  we  knew — or  rather  hoped 
— that  in  a  few  more  hours  we  should  be  safely  on  board 
the  little  rescue  steamer  now  waiting  for  us  at  the  point 
where  river  and  sea  joined.  But  the  wind  was  dead 
against  us,  and  the  Chinese  skipper  said  he  could  not 
possibly  start  until  the  wind  changed — "  The  great  God 
above  was  resting  a  bit,"  and  a  lot  more  to  the  same 
purpose.  And  so  hour  after  hour  passed  by,  and  a 
rumour  circulated  that  the  little  steamer  had  gone — that 
she  could  wait  no  longer.  We  treated  that  rumour  as 
philosophically  as  we  did  most  things  then,  only  we 
longed  for  a  favourable  wind,  and  to  make  a  start.  Day 
passed  into  evening,  and  evening  into  night,  before  we 
heard  the  welcome  sound  of  the  anchor  being  weighed, 
and  the  rattling  of  the  chains,  and  the  weird  song  of 
the  sailors. 

'  It  was  a  night  to  be  remembered, — a  night  full  of 
strange  scenes  and  sounds  ;  everything  looked  ghostly 
and  unreal,  but  behind  it  all  lurked  a  very  real  danger  ; 
a  danger  that  never  left  us  by  night  or  day.  To  an  on- 
looker our  boat  must  have  presented  a  curious  spectacle. 
We  ladies  were  lying  on  boards  placed  over  the  hold  of 
the  boat.  We  were  lying  like  a  row  of  sardines,  as  close 
together  as  possible,  and  wrapped  up  in  rugs.  Woman- 
like, we  naturally  decided  to  sit  up  all  night  with  a  rug 
round  us,  but  the  men  would  not  hear  of  it,  but  set  to 


Missionary  Ways  255 

work  to  do  all  they  could  to  ensure  us  as  good  a  night's 
rest  as  was  possible  under  the  circumstances,  and  to  a 
great  extent  they  succeeded.  Of  course  it  was  intensely 
miserable,  and  we  lay  and  shivered  with  the  cold,  in  spite 
of  blankets  and  rugs.  We  were  very  much  exposed,  and 
the  wind  whistled  round  us  as  we  huddled  together  for 
warmth.  Though  so  hot  during  the  day,  it  was  strangely 
cold  at  night.  Of  course,  these  are  all  minor  evils, 
and  are  hardly  worth  remembering,  but  as  I  write  the 
recollection  of  them  conjures  up.  a  strange  picture,  and 
one  never  to  be  forgotten. 

'  And  here  I  think  I  must  say  one  word  about  the 
kindness  of  the  missionary  man,  more  particularly  the 
kindness  and  thought  of  the  missionary  for  his  wife. 
Throughout  that  memorable  journey,  it  seemed  to  me 
that  they  were  always  studying  the  comfort  and  wishes 
of  the  women,  and  never,  never  thinking  of  themselves. 
While  we  had  the  rugs  and  pillows,  they  were  shivering 
about  the  miserable  little  deck,  a  place  with  hardly  foot- 
hold. While  we  had  hot  tea  or  coffee  (if  we  could  get 
it),  they  were  content  to  wait  or  go  without.  Not  that 
we  wished  this — far  from  it ;  but  we  could  not  help 
noticing  it,  and  remarking  upon  it.  It  was  the  same 
throughout — the  husband  for  the  wife,  the  father  for  his 
children,  and  the  single  man  for  one  and  all.  During 
that  eventful  night,  it  was  almost  pathetic  to  see  the 
husband  or  father  creep  up  every  now  and  then  to  see  if 
we  were  all  right,  and  to  ask  if  we  wanted  anything. 

*  Our  boat  had  ten  or  twelve  of  the  Governor's  soldiers 
on  board.  Early  in  the  morning  we  were  greeted  with 
the  intelligence  that  we  had  practically  made  no  head- 
way during  the  night,  and,  looking  round,  we  could  see 
the  village  of  Yang-chia-kou  close  at  hand.  And  all  the 
time  where  was  our  little  steamer  ?     By  this  time  I  was 


256       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

feeling  very  seedy,  and  could  not  manage  to  eat  what 
little  food  was  to  be  got ;  besides,  I  disliked  having  to 
accept  the  hospitality  of  others,  feeling  that  they  needed 
what  little  they  had  for  themselves. 

'And  so  the  day  wore  on,  and  our  progress  was 
almost  nil.  We  spent  a  good  part  of  the  time  in  striving 
to  make  out  the  steamer  amid  a  crowd  of  junks  in  the 
distance, — first  one  and  then  another  declaring  they 
could  see  the  smoke;  jokes  were  never  wanting,  and 
some  of  us  looking  through  the  glasses  even  saw  them 
talking  in  English,  so  plainly  could  we  see  what  never 
existed.  During  the  day,  a  boat  met  us  with  a  kind  of 
little  Japanese  officer.  He  informed  us  that  the  steamer 
was  anchored  outside  the  bar,  but  that  she  could  not 
wait  for  us  later  than  the  following  morning  about  6  a.m., 
as  she  was  without  bread  and  water,  and  had  a  number 
of  refugees  on  board.  You  may  imagine  our  anxiety. 
The  little  Jap  remained  with  us,  and  the  day  wore  on. 

*  Before  evening  it  was  decided  that  a  prayer-meeting 
should  be  held,  and  so  we  all  collected  together — people 
belonging  to  many  denominations  :  Church  of  England, 
Presbyterians,  Methodists,  and  Gospel  Missionary.  My 
husband  read  a  chapter  out  of  the  Bible  and  gave  out  the 
hymns,  while  the  head  of  the  Methodist  Mission,  Rev.  J. 
Robinson,  made  a  very  beautiful  and  touching  prayer ; 
then  old  Dr.  Crawford  finished  up  the  little  service  with 
a  few  heartfelt  words. 

*  Almost  immediately  after  the  meeting  for  prayer,  a 
terrible  storm  sprang  up.  All  the  ladies  were  put  down 
into  the  hold  of  the  boat,  our  bedding  being  arranged, 
as  well  as  could  be  managed,  on  the  baggage.  Then  the 
men  arranged  a  kind  of  awning  of  matting  over  us,  which 
kept  the  rain  out  very  fairly  well.  By  this  time  the 
rain  was  coming  down  in  sheets,  while  the  thunder  rolled 


^SK^s«^>j?f*^-'*n7 


THE    P^LIGHT    IN    SHANTUNG, 
MISSIONARY    PARTIES   AT   CHINESE   INNS. 


A  Terrible  Night  257 

and  the  lightning  flashed  from  every  part  of  the  heavens 
at  once.  We  were  nearly  suffocated  down  below,  but  it 
was  far  better  to  be  there  than  exposed  to  all  the  fury 
of  the  elements,  as  the  men  were.  And  beside,  mission- 
ary women  are  marvels  of  bravery  and  patience — one 
rarely  heard  a  murmur,  although  we  were  so  cramped 
and  suffocated.  I,  for  one,  was  in  a  partial  stupor  the 
whole  night ;  at  the  same  time  I  was  fully  aware  of 
everything  that  was  going  on,  and  quite  conscious  that 
a  sweet,  kind-hearted  girl  was  fanning  me  with  her  hat 
nearly  the  whole  night  through. 

'  The  morning  broke  at  last,  but  rough  and  miserable. 
However,  our  little  steamer  hove  in  sight,  and  we  hoped 
our  troubles  would  soon  be  over;  but  no,  she  was 
anchored  some  distance  on  the  other  side  of  the  bar,  and 
though  we  thought  that  directly  she  caught  sight  of  us 
she  would  steam  towards  us,  she  never  moved.  We  had 
by  this  time  got  into  rough  water,  and  in  a  very  short 
time,  with  two  exceptions  only,  we  were  all  down  with 
sea-sickness.  Then  the  soldiers  were  ordered  to  fire  off 
a  signal  of  distress,  and  they  fired  off  volley  after  volley, 
first  from  the  side  of  the  junk,  and  then  from  the  prow; 
but  still  she  never  moved,  and  afterwards  we  were  told 
the  surprising  news  that  never  a  shot  was  heard  by  any 
one  on  board  that  little  steamer.  Long  before  all  this 
happened,  both  soldiers  and  boatmen  had  wanted  to 
return.  One  soldier  had  been  howling  all  the  night 
through.  The  doctor  said  there  was  nothing  wrong  with 
him  excepting  fright.  It  seems  they  thought  the  gods 
were  angry  and  that  everything  was  against  us,  and 
really  at  one  time  it  almost  seemed  so.  The  controlling 
spirit,  however,  Mr.  Cornwell,  insisted  upon  their  con- 
tinuing on  their  course,  although  we  were  in  imminent 
danger  every  moment  of  capsizing. 
17 


258       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

'  By  this  time  the  scene  presented  on  that  miserable 
Chinese  junk  was  lamentable  in  the  extreme.  Every 
one  was  prostrate,  and  the  boat  was  rolling  to  and  fro 
like  a  drunken  man.  Once  I  closed  my  eyes  as  the 
boat  lurched  over  on  her  side,  feeling  sure  that  the  next 
mom.ent  would  find  us  struggling  in  the  water,  and  I 
remember  thinking  what  a  mercy  it  would  be  to  end 
all  our  troubles  so  easily;  but  it  was  not  to  be.  In  the 
midst  of  all  this  wretchedness,  we  heard  shouts,  and 
found  that  our  Japanese  sailor  was  battling  for  dear 
life  in  the  cruel  waves  ;  he  was  safely  hauled  out,  but 
for  some  time  was  very  ill.  I  never  heard  how  he  fell 
in,  and  we  were  too  ill  to  inquire. 

'  There  was  also  a  fierce  dispute  between  Mr. 
Cornwell  and  the  skipper,  for  by  this  time  we  were 
alongside  the  steamer.  We  were  anchored,  but  it  was 
impossible  to  board  the  steamer,  as  the  sea  was  too 
rough.  Two  sailors  swam  across  to  us  at  the  risk  of 
their  lives,  carrying  a  rope ;  one  collapsed  midway,  and 
was  rescued  with  difficulty,  and  both  were  prostrate 
for  some  time  after.  It  was  proposed  to  send  us  across 
one  by  one,  and  I  was  selected  as  the  first  to  be  de- 
spatched, but  as  I  couldn't  hold  up  my  head,  I  fear 
there  would  not  have  been  much  chance  of  my  getting 
across  alive.  Still,  I  would  have  done  my  best  for  the 
sake  of  the  others.  However,  the  waves  increased,  and 
it  was  deemed  wiser  to  abandon  the  attempt,  and  to 
return  to  the  Boxer-haunted  village  for  food  and  water, 
and  let  the  little  steamer  go  on  its  way.  And  at  this 
point  the  quarrel  occurred  between  Mr.  Cornwell  and 
the  boatmen.  We  were  in  danger  every  moment  of 
being  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  steamer,  but  the 
anchor  could  not  be  hauled  up.  The  skipper  refused  to 
cut  tlie  rope,  which  was  a  new  one,  and  was  preparing  to 


Return  to  Yang-chia-kou  259 

save  himself  and  his  crew,  leaving  us  to  our  fate.  Mr. 
Cornwell  had  to  draw  his  pistol,  and  the  little  Jap  un- 
sheathed his  sword.  This  had  the  desired  effect,  and  we 
were  soon  on  our  way  back  to  the  dreaded  village  of 
Yang-chia-kou,  feeling  that  we  were  indeed  forsaken 
by  God  and  man. 

*  The  little  steamer  did  all  she  could,  even  offering 
to  tow  us  out  to  calmer  water,  but  it  would  have  meant 
certain  death  to  some  of  us,  for  more  reasons  than  one, 
and  so  she  steamed  away,  promising  us  help  as  soon 
as  possible.  And  so  we  returned.  In  a  few  hours  we 
had  covered  the  distance — a  distance  that  had  lately 
taken  nearly  two  dreadful  days  and  nights.  A  big 
crowd  had  assembled  on  the  shore,  and  it  was  considered 
by  some  very  unwise  to  land  ;  however,  Mr.  Cornwell 
and  Mr.  Mathews  landed  to  make  a  tour  of  inspection. 
They  found  a  splendid  place  for  us — a  large  warehouse 
in  the  form  of  a  courtyard  surrounded  by  small  rooms, 
so  we  were  divided  up  into  parties  and  distributed. 
The  men's  bedding  was  arranged  in  the  yard,  and  the 
women  and  children  occupied  the  rooms.  It  was  lovely 
to  be  able  to  lie  down,  to  have  a  wash,  and  to  have  a 
little  decent  food.  The  few  that  objected  to  our  land- 
ing were  overruled ;  we  felt  that,  whatever  happened, 
we  could  not  stand  another  night  in  that  awful  boat. 
Of  course  there  were  many  terrible  rumours  about,  and 
we  knew  that  the  Boxers  were  there  ;  but  then,  we  had 
the  troops,  and  so  felt  comparatively  safe.  In  our  little 
rooms  we  heard  the  men  being  called  up  for  conference, 
and  we  gathered  afterwards  that  they  each  had  to  be  on 
guard  in  turn  throughout  the  night.  But  the  morning 
broke,  and  we  were  still  alive. 

*  During  the  day,  a  message  was  brought  that  we 
were  to  wait  for  another  batch  of  missionaries,  and  they 


26o       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

duly  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  all  looking  bright  and 
happy.  No  one  looked  at  any  time  (except  when  mal 
de  mer  reigned  supreme)  very  miserable.  Of  course 
we  did  not  know  how  long  we  might  have  to  wait ;  it 
might  be  for  days,  or  it  might  be  for  ever.  During  the 
afternoon  a  big  prayer-meeting  was  held  in  the  court- 
yard. At  the  door  behind  me  I  could  hear  the  Chinese 
making  a  great  noise,  and  endeavouring  to  peer  through 
while  we  performed  our  "  sacrilegious  rites."  I  could 
also  hear  the  soldiers  clearing  them  off  with  the  flat  of 
the  sword.  Whack  !  whack  !  And  so  the  day  came  to 
a  close,  and  in  the  evening  our  little  Jap  of  the  steamer 
arrived,  bringing  the  glorious  news  that  she  had  obtained 
a  supply  of  water  and  bread,  and  had  returned  for  us, 
and  that  we  must  leave  at  once.  At  the  same  time  we 
were  told  that  fresh  Boxers  had  arrived,  and  were  busy 
drilling,  and  that  to  spend  another  night  in  this  place 
might  mean  certain  death  to  us — anyhow  a  big  fight. 

'  So  about  10  p.m.  we  commenced  getting  ready, 
and  by  midnight  we  had  all  cleared  out  of  the  inn.  I 
don't  think  any  of  us  will  ever  forget  that  night.  We 
had  to  put  our  few  things  together  by  the  aid  of  a 
candle,  and  of  course,  being  so  herded  together,  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  see  which  were  our  own  things  and 
which  belonged  to  others,  but  we  were  always  ''jolly" 
over  it  all,  and  no  one  would  imagine  from  our 
aces  and  behaviour  generally  that  we  were  in  such 
peril.  When  I  had  packed,  I  sat  down  in  the  yard 
to  wait.  It  was  a  beautiful  night,  clear  and  starry, 
and  so  still ;  at  the  same  time,  we  all  experienced  a 
certain  nervous  feeling  of  uncertainty  and  dread, 
wondering  if  we  should  ever  reach  our  junks  alive. 
As  I  was  sitting  there,  young  Dr.  Jones  and  his  new 
wife  sauntered   up,  and  he  remarked  upon  the  fact  of 


Another  Start  261 

our  realising  our  danger  so  little,  but  supposed  that  we 
should  in  the  future,  when  it  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 
It  is  a  curious  thing  that  when  one  is  face  to  face  with 
death  one  fears  it  so  little ;  the  hurt  comes  when  it  is  the 
death  of  those  we  love.     That  is  agony  of  agony. 

'  At  last  all  was  ready.  The  candles  had  ceased  to 
flicker  across  the  compound,  as  the  men  and  their  "  boys  " 
put  the  bedding  together.  My  husband  came  and  sat 
down  by  my  side,  and  on  the  other  side  my  kind  little 
girl  friend  (the  one  who  fanned  me  through  the  long 
night  on  the  junk),  and  so  we  waited.  We  were  to  be 
divided  up  into  three  batches.  Gospel  Mission  were 
the  first  to  go,  then  the  members  of  the  Mission  that 
arrived  that  afternoon,  and  lastly  we  English.  There 
were  three  junks  in  readiness  in  the  deep  water  beyond 
the  stretch  of  sand  (now  covered  with  water),  and  each 
party  was  escorted  down  to  the  boats  by  soldiers.  The 
first  party  left  us  ;  there  were  a  few  quiet  handshakes — a 
few  tearful  eyes,  and  they  were  gone — and  we  listened. 
It  seemed  a  long  time  before  the  soldiers  came  back  for 
the  second  party,  but  at  last  they  went  too,  and  we  were 
left  in  the  almost  forsaken  yard.  But  our  turn  came  at 
last,  and  we  stole  out  at  midnight,  amid  a  death-like 
silence.  I  could  see  faces  lining  the  way  as  we  went, 
but  whether  they  were  the  faces  of  soldiers  or  others  I 
never  knew.  I  only  know  that  we  looked  and  felt  like 
a  funeral  procession,  and  said  so. 

'  In  addition  to  our  soldiers,  the  official  had  sent  a 
body  of  soldiers  of  his  own,  and  as  they  stood  to  attention 
near  our  boats  they  looked  very  picturesque,  absurd,  and 
imposing.  *'  Absurd,"  because  they  had  no  weapons,  only 
very  long  poles  with  little  pennons  and  tufts  on  the  top. 
It  was  a  beautiful  night,  and  the  stars  and  lights  were 
reflected  in  the  still  waters,    and  looked   so  calm    and 


262       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

peaceful  ;  but  when  we  heard  every  now  and  then  the 
report  of  some  distant  gun,  we  realised  our  position,  and 
longed  to  be  far  away  safe  on  our  little  steamer.  At 
last  we  were  safely  on  our  three  junks,  and  the  sampans 
and  boatmen  returned  to  the  shore.  However,  we  had 
to  wait  for  Mr.  Cornwell,  who  had  remained  behind  to 
settle  accounts.  We  got  fearfully  anxious,  as  he  was  so 
long  in  coming,  and  of  course  imagined  all  manner  of 
dreadful  things. 

*  At  last  by  two  o'clock  we  were  off,  the  sails  were 
hoisted,  the  soldiers  made  themselves  comfortable,  the 
sailors  sang  their  boating  song,  and  we  lifted  up  our 
hearts  in  thankfulness,  feeling  at  last  that  a  kind 
Providence  was  protecting  us,  and  that  we  were  saved. 
Strict  instructions  had  been  left  with  the  official  and 
others  that  no  boats  were  to  be  allowed  to  follow  us. 
We  made  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible — the 
men  in  one  hole  and  ourselves  in  another.  Of  course, 
sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  but  I  sat  and  watched  the 
stars  and  listened  to  the  boatmen.  Sometimes  I  heard 
a  gentle  snore  by  way  of  a  change,  and  then,  in  the 
morning,  I  was  rewarded  by  seeing  the  sun  rise  over  the 
sea  in  all  its  grandeur,  and  the  colouring  was  sublime. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  wonderful  glow  that  pervaded 
everything,  nor  the  Chinese  junks— their  sails  all  manner 
of  tints — going  along  like  so  many  beautiful  phantoms  ! 
And  with  the  morning  our  precious  little  steamer  loomed 
in  sight.  Though  the  last  to  leave  the  inn,  we  were  the 
first  to  reach  the  boat.  We  were  soon  on  board,  and 
kind  friends  were  there  from  far-away  Missions,  saved 
like  ourselves,  to  give  us  coffee  and  tea  and  biscuits. 

*It  was  the  dirtiest  little  steamer  that  ever  eye  of 
man  or  woman  rested  upon,  but  to  us  no  luxurious 
P.  &  O.  vessel  could  have  been  more  beautiful  or  en- 


An  Exciting  Voyage  26 


J 


trancing.  We  looked  through  the  skylight  and  saw  a 
real  table,  a  real  cloth,  and  real  cups  and  saucers — yes, 
and  actually  real  foreign  food.  Presently  the  other 
junks  came  up,  and  then  there  was  a  general  merry 
meeting  among  older  missionaries.  We  were  all  refugees 
— seventy-five  of  us.  The  steamer  was  a  little  Jap 
chartered  by  the  American  Consul,  I  believe.  The 
Americans  are  good  to  their  missionaries.  The  mission- 
aries seem  to  be  the  important  people  in  American  eyes. 
We  were  a  wonderful  mixture,  and  there  were  crowds 
of  children.  Some  of  the  people  were  exceedingly  nice, 
and  evidently  clever,  well  educated,  and  refined.  There 
was  no  accommodation  on  the  "  boat,"  as  it  was  really 
built  for  native  use;  besides,  it  was  very  small,  so  we 
had  to  sleep  on  deck,  and  in  the  morning  we  smeared 
our  faces  over,  using  a  rag  and  sea-water  for  the 
purpose.  In  the  saloon  the  flies  were  so  numerous, 
and  the  people  almost  as  much  so,  and  what  they 
lacked  in  numbers  they  made  up  for  in  size,  so  that 
feeding  was  quite  out  of  the  question.  However,  they 
all  tried  to  do  their  best,  and  an  arrangement  was  made 
whereby  we  all  went  down  in  the  parties  arranged  as  we 
were  in  the  inn. 

*  But  our  one  longing  was  to  get  to  our  journey's  end, 
and  our  little  "  Jap "  went  merrily  along,  ploughing 
through  the  water  at  a  famous  rate.  We  had  one 
very  exciting  incident  eii  route.  We  met  a  Japanese 
merchant  vessel  (steamer)  like  our  own,  on  its  way  to 
Yang-chia-kou.  Mr.  Cornwell  signalled  to  her,  and  she 
came  alongside.  He  then  told  the  captain  that  there 
would  be  a  small  party  of  refugees  on  their  way  from 
Chi-nan-fu,  and  would  he  bring  them  on,  as  it  would  be 
some  days  before  he  could  get  back  himself?  The 
captain    took  a  letter,  and    he   and  the  crew  promised 


264       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

that,  if  they  came  up,  they  would  not  refuse  them,  but 
would  take  them  on  board.  The  compradore  (who  is 
all-powerful,  and  a  Chinaman)  absolutely  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  them.  As  you  may  imagine,  we 
were  very  wrathful,  and  many  were  the  bitter  things  said 
about  that  compradore.  We  could  do  no  more  than 
hope  and  pray  that  the  good  little  captain  would 
have  his  way.  And  he  did,  and  the  compradore  was 
reported,  and  dismissed  from  the  firm. 

'  On  arriving  at  Chefoo,  Mr.  Griffith  came  off  on  a 
sampan  to  meet  us,  and  the  little  bay  was  soon  alive 
with  boats, — such  a  bright,  animated  scene;  the 
Terrible^  too,  was  anchored  there,  as  large  as  life,  and 
other  big  ironclads  belonging  to  different  nations,  and 
the  whole  scene  was  just  one  brilliant  picture.  We  were 
taken  to  the  house  of  one  of  the  merchants,  and  had 
such  a  breakfast ;  but  after  all  we  had  gone  through  I 
felt  a  bit  overwhelmed.' 

One  other  experience  is  worthy  of  record  in  connec- 
tion with  the  exodus  of  missionaries  from  Shantung, 
namely,  the  burning  of  the  Weihsien  Mission  compound. 
This  disastrous  event  occurred  in  the  night  of  June  25, 
1900,  and  is  described  by  Miss  Boughton,  who,  with  Miss 
Hawes  and  Rev.  F.  H.  Chalfant,  constituted  all  that  was 
left  of  the  Mission  staff  at  the  time.  Miss  Boughton 
writes  : — 

'  Monday,  June  25,  we  were  busy  all  day  packing  our 
own  things,  and  other  people's.  About  four  o'clock, 
Miss  Hawes  and  I  went  to  Dr.  Faries'  house  to  see  if  we 
could  put  up  any  of  their  things.  There  was  a  crowd  of 
children  in  the  street,  and  they  ran  away,  jeering  and 
laughing  at  us.  After  this,  more  and  more  Chinese 
gathered  about  the  compound,  and  finally  word  came  to 


Mr.  Chalfant's-  Bravery  265 

Mr.  Chalfant  that  they  had  knocked  the  coping  off  from 
Dr.  Faries'  wall.  He  went  out  to  see  about  it.  Just  at 
this  time,  one  of  the  Chinese  pastors  was  leaving  on  a  cart 
that  was  loaded  with  the  goods  of  a  Chinese  sewing 
woman.  As  soon  as  the  cart  was  out  of  the  gate,  the 
pastor  was  struck  and  the  things  all  stolen  from  the  cart. 
Mr.  Chalfant  went  back  to  his  house  to  get  a  revolver, 
and  told  us  that  he  had  sent  for  shenzas,  and  we  must 
go  at  midnight.  Soon  after,  he  came  again,  and  said 
that  we  had  better  go  to  his  house.  We  went  there, 
and  he  went  to  face  the  mob.  For  over  two  hours  he 
kept  them  back,  first  standing  inside  of  the  wall,  and 
afterward  on  the  outside.  A  letter  had  been  sent  to  the 
Chinese  official,  asking  for  help,  but  no  one  came.  One 
soldier  carrying  a  message  to  another  place  came  to  the 
compound,  looked  around,  and  went  back.  After  he 
left,  the  mob  was  worse  than  ever.  Mr.  Chalfant  shot 
several  times  into  the  air.  The  people  shouted  that 
members  of  the  Big  Knife  Society  could  not  be  hurt. 
Mr.  Chalfant  then  fired  into  the  crowd.  Next,  the 
mob  attempted  to  get  between  Mr.  Chalfant  and  the 
gate.  He  made  a  rush  for  it,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
inside.  All  this  time  the  mob  had  been  throwing 
brickbats,  and  it  is  wonderful  that  Mr.  Chalfant  was  not 
killed.  He  was  not  even  seriously  injured,  though  the 
toe  of  one  foot  was  crushed  and  was  very  painful.  It 
is  most  plainly  the  power  of  God  that  kept  him  safe. 
When  Mr.  Chalfant  came  into  the  compound,  the  south 
eate  had  been  broken  in,  the  mob  had  come  in  there, 
and  set  fire  to  the  chapel. 

*  In  the  meantime,  Miss  Hawes  and  I  were  in  Mr. 
Chalfant's  house.  Some  Christian  women  came  there 
to  see  us.  They  were  at  first  much  excited,  but  soon 
quieted  down.     A  boy  brought   us  something  to  eat. 


2  66       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

We  drank  some  water  and  ate  a  few  mouthfuls,  but  it  is 
not  necessary  to  tell  you  that  most  of  our  time  was 
spent  in  prayer,  and,  indeed,  our  hearts  were  constantly 
lifted  in  prayer  to  God.  The  gate  of  Mr.  Chalfant's 
yard  was  bolted,  and  a  man  sat  in  front  of  it  with  a 
pitchfork  in  his  hand  to  defend  us.  Word  came  that 
Mr.  Chalfant  had  been  taken,  and  we  sent  one  man  to 
look  for  him.  It  was  then  that  the  south  gate  was 
broken  in,  and  our  men  rushed  there  to  keep  the  mob 
out.     Mr.  Chalfant  came  soon  after. 

*We  barricaded  the  doors  and  windows  and  went 
upstairs,  several  Chinese  women,  a  man  and  boy,  with  us. 
We  heard  pounding  downstairs  and  the  breaking  of 
glass,  and  saw  the  flames  from  the  burning  chapel  and 
from  our  (ladies')  house.  We  then  went  downstairs  and 
out  of  the  east  window.  There  was  a  ladder  lying  on 
the  porch,  and  no  one  in  the  front  yard.  Mr.  Chalfant 
and  the  man  put  the  ladder  against  the  wall,  and 
we  climbed  over.  We  were  seen.  Some  one  threw  a 
brick,  and  we  heard  a  man  calling,  "  The  foreign  devils 
are  escaping :  kill  them ! "  but  no  one  followed  us. 
Three  men  and  a  boy  came  with  us  tb  a  place  called 
Fangtze,  where  the  Germans  have  opened  a  coal  mine, 
about  ten  miles  off. 

'  After  getting  over  the  wall,  we  walked  quietly  along, 
passing  groups  of  people,  who  spoke  kindly  to  us.  I 
heard  some  one  say,  "  How  good  it  has  been  to  have 
them  here  ! "  and  his  tone  evidently  meant,  "  and  what  a 
pity  to  send  them  away."  The  last  group  of  people  we 
met  jeered  at  us,  and  told  us  to  "  go  home."  We  were 
so  thankful  when  darkness  came.  We  went  through 
the  edge  of  one  village,  and  the  dogs  came  out  barking 
at  us.  Generally  there  is  nothing  I  am  so  afraid  of  as 
Chinese  dogs,  but  that  night  I  did  not  think  of  them. 


A  Wonderful  Escape  267 

We  came  to  one  place  where  the  people  were  out  on 
the  village  wall.  They  were  hostile,  and  we  turned 
aside  and  went  around  the  village,  through  the  fields. 
We  rested  several  times.  Once  we  sat  down  for  a 
while,  waiting  until  the  road  was  quiet  and  people  had 
gone  to  bed.  We  left  our  compound  about  eight  o'clock, 
and  reached  Fangtze  at  midnight.  The  Germans  were 
still  up,  and  gave  us  a  most  cordial  welcome.  Supper 
was  soon  ready  for  us  and  beds  prepared.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  kindness  of  these  people.  They  put  every- 
thing they  had  at  our  disposal.  There  were  no  ladies 
there,  only  German  engineers  and  miners,  in  all  fifteen 
or  sixteen  men. 

'  As  we  look  back  upon  the  way  God  has  led  us,  His 
love  and  care  seem  very  wonderful.  All  the  time  of  the 
riot.  He  seemed  close  beside  us,  and  I  kept  thinking  of 
the  verse,  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose 
mind  is  stayed  on  Thee."  When  we  went  upstairs  to 
Mr.  Chalfant's  house,  we  fully  expected  to  die.  So  far 
as  we  could  see,  there  was  no  escape,  but  we  were  all 
ready  to  say,  "  Thy  will  be  done."  My  earnest  prayer 
was  that  I  might  not  in  any  way  dishonour  God,  but 
that  I  might  be  close  to  Him  to  the  end. 

*  We  have  many  things  for  which  to  be  thankful,  and 
which  show  plainly  that  God  was  caring  for  us.  If  the 
riot  had  been  earlier  in  the  day,  and  we  escaping  by 
daylight,  in  all  human  probability  we  could  not  have 
got  away.  The  ladder  by  which  we  escaped  had  been 
brought  there  only  the  day  before  for  Mr.  Chalfant  to 
examine  the  roof.  Just  at  this  season  there  was  no 
one  in  the  fields.  A  little  earlier  or  later,  the  men  are 
out  all  night  watching  the  crops.  Humanly  speaking, 
we  owe  our  lives  to  Mr.  Chalfant.  He  was  one  man 
against  five  hundred,  and  he  held  them  back  until  nearly 


268       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

dark.  To  the  Chinese  who  came  with  us  we  owe  a  debt 
of  gratitude  we  cannot  repay.  They  risked  their  own 
lives  to  help  us.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  coal  mines, 
the  headman  of  the  place  sent  a  telegram  asking  for 
German  soldiers  to  escort  us  to  Tsing  Tau. 

*We  saved  nothing  except  what  we  had  on  our 
backs.  I  had  been  packing  all  day,  and  wore  an  old 
dress  that  I  expected  to  throw  away.  I  did  have  my 
watch  on,  but  everything  else  is  gone.  Our  school 
teacher  was  killed  just  outside  of  our  compound,  and  a 
cook  was  badly  beaten.  Most  or  all  of  our  helpers  and 
servants  lost  all  they  had  at  the  station,  but  we  have 
not  heard  of  any  others  who  were  injured. 

*  We  left  Fangtze  after  four  o'clock,  Saturday  after- 
noon, June  30,  and  went  ten  miles  that  evening.  Next  day 
we  went  about  thirty  miles.  Just  as  we  began  to  eat 
dinner  we  heard  a  great  uproar  in  front  of  the  inn  gate, 
and  feared  it  was  the  beginning  of  another  riot.  The 
men  grasped  their  weapons  and  rushed  out.  They 
succeeded  in  quieting  the  people,  but  no  one  was  hungry 
after  that.  Toward  evening  we  crossed  a  river  where 
there  was  only  one  small  boat,  and  it  took  several  hours 
to  get  us  over.  That  night  we  reached  a  miserable  inn, 
where  the  people  were  sullen.  Miss  Hawes  and  I  slept 
in  a  little  inner  room,  with  a  curtain  between  us  and 
the  gentlemen.  We  heard  alarming  news  of  the  road 
ahead  of  us,  but  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  push  on. 

*  Mr.  Bergen  with  friends  and  ten  soldiers  were  out 
nearly  a  week  looking  for  us,  and  had  suffered  very 
much.  After  hard  riding  they  had  gone  for  many  hours 
without  food  for  themselves  or  horses.  One  horse  died, 
another  went  mad,  another  was  brought  home  disabled. 
Three  times  they  were  attacked  by  the  Chinese.  Once 
there  was  firing  all  night. 


Wei  Hsien  in  Flames  269 

'After  the  way  God  brought  us  out  of  the  fire  at 
Wei  Hsien,  I  can  most  certainly  say  that  mine  own  eyes 
have  seen  His  great  power.  With  Him  we  are  ahvays 
safe,  and  without  Him  no  place  is  safe.  I  believe  that 
after  this  trouble  we  shall  see  a  greater  work  in  China 
than  we  have  ever  seen  before.  That  night  we  were 
fleeing  from  Wei  Hsien,  as  I  looked  back  and  saw  the 
flames  rising  behind  me,  I  thought, — These  flames  will 
kindle  a  wonderful  work  for  God  in  this  place,  and  then 
how  glad  and  happy  we  shall  be  !  I  am  more  than  ever 
anxious  to  go  back  and  begin  work  again,  and  Wei 
Hsien  and  the  people  there  are  dearer  to  me  than  ever.' 

Miss  Hawes,  in  writing  of  those  hours  of  crisis  at 
Wei  Hsien,  says  : — 

'  Mr.  Chalfant  shot  into  the  air  until  they  closed  about 
him,  when  in  self-defence  he  shot  into  the  crowd,  and 
managed  to  get  through  a  small  opening  in  the  gate 
and  returned  to  us.  The  bricks  were  flying  thickly 
about  him  as  he  did  so.  When  he  appeared,  I  said, 
"  Oh,  Mr.  Chalfant,  thank  God  that  you  are  not  killed." 
He  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  Yes,  but — "  and  as  he 
sat  down  looking  so  pale  I  saw  there  was  not  hope  in 
his  face  for  our  lives.  He  drank  some  fresh  water,  and 
we  all  ate  a  little  for  strength,  and  then  we  gathered 
with  the  Christians  who  were  in  one  room  waiting  for 
the  end. 

'  We  heard  the  smashing  of  our  windows,  and  saw 
the  flames  on  either  side  of  us,  and  we  prayed  and  shook 
hands  together,  expecting  soon  to  be  massacred  or 
burned  in  the  house.  But,  to  Mr.  Chalfant's  amazement, 
on  looking  out  of  the  east  window  he  saw  no  one  in 
the  east  yard.  We  went  through  the  sitting-room 
window,  which  reached  to  the  floor,  and,  finding  a  ladder 
on  the  piazza,  crossed  the  yard  and  got  safely  over  the 


270       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

wall,  taking  our  Christian  women  and  men  with  us. 
The  boxes  which  we  had  packed  were  all  on  one  side  of 
Mr.  Chalfant's  yard,  and  evil  men  were  carrying  them 
off,  while  we  gained  the  chance  of  escape  on  the  other 
side. 

*  After  we  were  over  the  wall,  we  joined  hands  and 
walked  through  the  corn-fields,  praising  God  for  our 
deliverance.  We  hid  by  lying  down  in  the  corn  till 
dark  and  all  was  quiet,  then  we  crept  softly  through 
the  fields,  avoiding  the  roads,  and  not  daring  to  speak 
to  each  other  until  ten  miles  were  done  and  we  arrived 
at  the  German  mines.  The  Chinese  had  already  set 
fire  to  a  large  shaft  belonging  to  these  miners,  causing  a 
loss  of  several  thousands  of  dollars.' 

It  is  one  hundred  miles  from  Wei  Hsien  to  Tsing 
Tau.  Of  five  men  who  voluntarily  accompanied  the 
fleeing  missionaries  as  far  as  the  mines,  two  were  non- 
Christians  who  had  often  been  employed  as  barrow-men. 
The  faithful  Chinese  women  stopped  in  a  village  west 
of  the  mines. 

Other  striking  incidents  in  connection  with  the  flight 
of  the  missionaries  from  Shantung  were:  the  total 
destruction  of  the  Mission  buildings  belonging  to  the 
American  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Lin-ch'ing-chou,  in 
the  south-western  part  of  the  province,  and  also  of  the 
buildings  of  the  English  Methodist  Mission  at  Lao-ling, 
near  Wu-ting-fu.  The  missionaries  and  their  families 
all  escaped  in  safety. 

The  buildings  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission 
in  I-chow-fu  were  in  part  destroyed  by  the  soldiers  of 
the  Imperial  army  passing  from  the  south,  under  the 
command  of  the  notorious  Li-pingh'eng,  the  Governor  of 
Shantung  at  the  time  when  Kiao-chou  Bay  was  seized 
by  the  Germans.     On  this  account  he  was  incited  to 


Missionaries  at  Chefoo 


271 


become,  as  he  afterwards  did,  a   leader  of  the  Boxer 
movement. 

The  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  Mission 
from  the  station  of  Pang-chia-chuang,  in  the  extreme 
west  of  Shantung,  were  mostly  away  at  a  meeting  of 
their  Mission  in  Tungchou,  near  Peking,  when  the  Boxer 
troubles  broke  out,  and  were  amongst  the  number  who 
were  saved  through  the  gallant  action  of  Dr.  Ament  of 
Peking,  who  rode  out  with  carts  and  brought  the  whole 
party  in  safety  to  the  capital,  where,  however,  they  had 
to  endure  all  the  horrors  of  the  siege. 

The  extensive  Mission  premises  of  the  English 
Baptist  Mission  in  Ch'ing  -  chou  -  fu  escaped  almost 
unharmed,  though  only  forty  miles  from  the  Wei  Hsien 
Mission  compound,  which  was  completely  destroyed  by 
fire  by  the  mob.  The  premises,  which  were  left  in  the 
care  of  the  local  magistrate,  were  extensively  looted  by 
the  very  men  sent  to  guard  them.  The  neighbouring 
station  of  Chou-p'ing,  belonging  to  the  same  Mission, 
was  preserved,  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  a  friendly 
official,  who  had  himself  to  suffer  great  indignity  from 
the  Boxers  on  account  of  his  friendliness. 

The  missionaries  who  escaped  in  the  exodus  from 
Shantung  were  mostly  congregated  in  Chefoo,  where 
they  remained  for  about  nine  months.  They  were 
followed  in  their  flight  by  a  considerable  number  of 
Christian  natives,  who  escaped  from  the  terrible  wave 
of  persecution  which  immediately  followed  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  mission  stations  in  the  interior.  The 
missionaries  at  Chefoo  were  not  only  useful  in  helping 
these  their  native  converts,  but  were  successful  in  obtain- 
ing relief  for  the  persecuted  Christians  in  the  province  of 
Shan-si. 

It  is  only  right  to  thankfully  record  the  fact  that  no 


272       The  Exodus  from  Shantung 

missionary,  or  any  of  their  families  or  dependents,  lost 
their  lives  in  this  most  memorable  flight.  This  was  due, 
under  God,  to  the  energetic  action  of  the  then  Governor 
of  the  province,  H.  E.  Yuan  Shih-k'ai,  who,  at  great 
personal  risk  and  much  anxiety,  befriended  the  mission- 
aries, and  by  the  aid  of  his  well-disciplined  troops 
secured  their  safety  by  providing  efficient  escort  to  the 
coast.  Not  only  did  he  act  consistently  in  his  efforts  to 
befriend  all  foreigners  in  his  jurisdiction,  but,  by  means 
of  trusty  couriers,  kept  in  constant  communication  with 
Peking  all  through  the  troubles,  and  reported  constantly 
and  confidently  the  continued  safety  of  the  Legations 
when  all  hope  had  been  given  up  in  other  quarters. 
He  also,  on  receipt  of  a  communication  from  the 
missionaries  in  Chefoo,  thanking  him  for  past  help,  and 
praying  a  continuance  of  his  vigorous  efforts  in  the 
suppression  of  the  Boxers,  sent  a  most  courteous  and 
statesmanlike  reply,  which  put  missions  and  missionaries 
working  in  the  province  in  a  position  never  before 
attained  under  any  previous  Governor.  His  subsequent 
action,  in  summoning  Rev.  W.  M.  Hayes,  D.D.,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Missionary  College,  to  Teng- 
chou-fu,  to  his  aid  in  his  wide-reaching  schemes  of 
educational  reform  in  the  province,  also  earned  for 
him  the  gratitude  of  the  missionary  body.  When  the 
Consular  authorities  thought  it  safe  to  allow  their 
nationals  to  return  to  the  interior,  efficient  escort  and  a 
cordial  welcome  were  extended  to  them  by  the  Governor. 


fir,  " 


UBm 


I    i 


PORT   ARTHUR. 


VLADIVOSTOCK. 


WEI    HAI    WEI. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 
IN  Manchuria 

The  home  provinces  of  the  Manchu  dynasty  have  been, 
within  recent  times,  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most 
remarkable  successes  in  modern  missionary  work.  The 
Manchu  race,  composed  of  many  warUke  tribes  finally 
welded  into  one  by  the  force  exerted  by  the  founder  of 
the  present  dynasty  now  ruling  over  China,  has  never 
fully  occupied  the  magnificent  territory  which  they  had 
as  a  natural  heritage.  Consequently,  immigration  by 
Chinese  from  the  provinces  of  Chihli  and  Shantung  has 
been  going  on  for  generations ;  and  of  late  years,  owing 
to  famines  and  floods  in  Shantung,  has  been  greatly 
increased  and  even  encouraged,  especially  from  that 
province.  Those  who  have  gone  have  been,  for  the 
most  part,  young,  unencumbered  men,  drawn  out  from 
their  paternal  homes  by  force  of  circumstances,  becoming 
settlers  in  new  territory,  and  gradually,  when  able, 
gathering  friends  about  them  and  founding  new  homes 
in  new  surroundings,  and  thus  more  ready  to  accept 
new  ideas  and  make  new  developments. 

The  work  of  the    United    Presbyterian    Church   of 

Scotland,  now  known  as  the  United  Free  Church,  and 

the  Irish  Presbyterian,  especially  amongst  these  settlers, 

has  been,   of  recent   years,   almost   phenomenal    in  its 

i8 


2  74  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

success.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak  in  June  1900, 
converts  and  inquirers  had  been  numbered  by  thousands 
for  several  years  previously,  and  it  seemed  as  if  a  general 
movement  of  the  populace  in  favour  of  Christianity  was 
about  to  take  place. 

The  Japanese  war  of  1894  had  stirred  them  deeply. 
The  ease  with  which  the  little  Japs  conquered  by  sea 
and  land,  culminating  in  the  overthrow  of  what  was 
considered  the  impregnable  fortress  of  Port  Arthur,  and 
the  virtual  surrender  to  them  almost  without  a  blow  of 
the  whole  Liao-tung  peninsula,  was  to  all  concerned  a 
most  astounding  revelation  of  the  utter  weakness  of  the 
Chinese  and  Manchu  authorities  in  that  province,  as  well 
as  in  other  parts. 

The  subsequent  combination  against  Japan,  and  the 
consequent  handing  over  the  fruits  of  their  victories  to 
the  Russian  Government ;  the  rapid  Russianising  of 
Manchuria  by  the  aid  of  a  branch  line  of  the  Great 
Siberian  Railway  running  through  the  heart  of  the 
country,  and  connecting  with  the  new  Russian  Port 
Arthur :  all  these  rapid  and  momentous  changes  made 
the  whole  population  restless  and  uneasy.  Constant 
communication  with  Peking,  and  the  rise  and  progress  of 
the  Boxer  movement,  had  its  almost  immediate  effect  in 
the  native  home  of  the  dynasty.  Shantung  immigrants 
readily  learned  the  Boxer  arts  and  incantations,  as  the 
initiators  of  these  mysteries  were  Shantung  men.  When 
the  Imperial  edict  was  issued,  ordering  the  destruction 
of  all  foreign  buildings  and  the  death  of  all  foreigners,  it 
was  like  placing  a  match  to  gunpowder.  The  explosion 
was  as  immediate  as  it  was  disastrous. 

The  missionaries,  warned,  but  only  just  in  time,  had 
barely  the  opportunity  to  make  their  escape,  even  with 
the  help  that  Russian  soldiers  and  railway  trains  could 


Troubles  at  East  Moukden         275 

give.  One  of  the  most  exciting  of  the  adventures  of  the 
escaping  missionaries  is  related  by  Rev.  F.  W.  S.  O'Neill, 
of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Mission,  who  writes: — 

'  Though  we  had  had  warning,  yet  the  trouble  came 
to  a  head  with  unexpected  suddenness.  On  Sabbath, 
July  I,  I  preached  in  our  new  church  premises,  on  the 
power  of  united  prayer  when  God's  people  were  in 
danger  (Acts  xii.  5).  It  is  true,  the  notice  had  been 
posted  up  in  Fakumen  to  the  effect  that,  on  the  following 
Sabbath,  July  8,  we  were  to  be  killed,  and  the  chapels 
burned;  both  Protestants  and  Roman  Catholics  being 
included.  But  we  did  not  take  the  threat  as  really 
serious.  On  Monday,  however,  news  came  that  the 
East  Moukden  church  had  been  burned.  Several  of  us 
were  together — deacons,  members,  elders.  We  discussed 
the  situation  ;  we  prayed,  some  in  tears.  They  pressed 
me  to  leave  Fakumen.  So  that  night  I  packed  up,  and 
next  morning  set  out  about  dawn,  dressed  in  Chinese 
clothes.  Hoping  to  get  a  train  to  Newchwang,  I  made 
for  Tiehling,  an  important  station  on  the  Russian  railway, 
thirty  miles  eastwards  from  my  home.  That  evening  I 
reached  my  destination,  and  lodged  in  a  Chinese  inn 
without  disturbance. 

'  Next  morning,  I  missed  what  turned  out  to  be  the 
last  train  that  presumably  got  through  to  Newchwang, 
for  on  the  following  day  the  train  on  which  we  were 
was  attacked  by  a  company  of  perhaps  two  hundred 
Boxers,  or  Imperial  troops,  or  both.  Some  twenty 
miles  north-west  of  Moukden  we  had  stopped.  Looking 
out  from  the  waggon,  I  saw  the  enemy  crouching  in  a 
field  a  little  way  from  the  railway  line.  Not  many  men 
were  on  the  long  train.  The  Russians  fired.  Then  the 
Chinese  began  a  sharp  fusilade,  and  the  train  speedily 
put  back.     Many  bullets  struck  the  locomotive,  but  no 


276  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

one  on  our  side  was  injured.  The  track  was  broken. 
We  went  back  some  distance  for  help  and  materials, 
and  returned  down  the  line  that  night.  We  found  a 
station  burned,  flames  from  piles  of  wood  still  burning 
brightly.  The  damage  to  the  line  was  too  serious  to 
be  repaired  then.  So  we  returned  to  Tiehling  in  the 
morning,  to  find  that  an  attack  had  been  made  on  the 
station  there  by  a  strong  force,  and  repulsed  with,  it 
was  said,  over  forty  Chinese  killed. 

'  It  is  curious  to  observe  the  mixture  of  superstition 
in  this  rising.  To  enter  the  Boxers'  Society  a  charm  is 
repeated,  after  which  the  person  swoons,  and,  on  regain- 
ing consciousness,  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  perform 
military  feats  untaught;  to  be,  in  fact,  "possessed" — 
whether  through  imaginary  demonism,  or  real  demoniac 
power,  it  is  hard  to  say.  Young  girls  also  enter  the 
Society,  and  they  especially  are  said  to  be  bullet-proof. 
On  the  occasion  of  that  first  attack  at  Tiehling  the 
Chinese  troops  were  led  by  a  maiden  on  horseback. 
She  was  shot  in  the  head,  and  died,  of  course.  But  the 
story  was  that  she  became  alive  again. 

*  Next  day,  Saturday,  July  7,  sustained  fighting 
went  on  at  the  station.  The  Russian  settlement  where 
we  were  staying  was  two  or  three  miles  from  the  station. 
Mounted  Cossacks  hurrying  out  or  returning,  the  sound 
of  musketry,  and  the  sight  of  burning  houses,  made  that 
afternoon  and  evening  serious  with  the  knowledge  of 
war  at  our  door.  There  had  taken  refuge  at  the  Russian 
settlement  two  French  priests,  two  nuns,  and  some  two 
hundred  Chinese  Roman  Catholics.  In  the  dusk  of  that 
memorable  evening,  they  came  together  on  the  roadway 
in  front  of  the  chief  engineer's  house.  The  congregation 
knelt  on  the  ground,  the  two  priests  standing,  and  thus 
repeated  their  prayers,  mingled  with  the  women's  sobs. 


*  Death  stared  us  in  the  Face'     277 

It  was  an  impressive  sight.  The  news  had  already  reached 
us  of  the  destruction  of  Moukden  Roman  Catholic 
cathedral,  and  the  death  of  the  bishop  with  a  French 
priest  and  two  nuns,  and  it  was  said  about  three  hundred 
Chinese  Christians,  the  place  having  been  bombarded 
by  Imperial  artillery.  We  heard  that  the  Chinese  troops 
had  come  on  to  Tiehling.  The  Protestant  and  Roman 
Catholic  churches  of  Tiehling  had  been  burned.  From 
the  train  I  had  seen  the  remains  of  the  spire  of  the 
latter,  and  clouds  of  smoke  that  may  have  come  from 
our  church  or  street  chapel. 

'  That  night  death  stared  us  in  the  face.  The  same 
day  a  copy  of  a  recent  Peking  Gazette  (Chinese)  was 
secured  through  the  capture  of  a  letter-courier.  In  it 
was  a  proclamation  from  the  Empress-Dowager,  authoris- 
ing the  people  to  destroy  chapels,  buildings,  and  property, 
and  otherwise  avenge  themselves  on  foreigners  for 
taking  the  forts  of  Taku.  It  was  decided  by  the 
engineers  and  officers  to  leave  Tiehling  at  once.  The 
Russian  soldiers  on  the  spot  were  for  the  defence  of 
the  railway  against  robbers,  but  were  not  sufficient 
to  make  war.  As  the  way  to  Newchwang  seemed  too 
difficult,  we  were  to  make  for  Harpin  (or  Charbin),  the 
great  Russian  settlement  in  the  far  north. 

*  That  night  we  did  not  sleep.  We  prepared  for  flight. 
Three  boxes  which  I  brought  from  Fakumen  were 
thrown  aside.  And  as  my  house  was  likely  to  be  burned 
or  at  least  the  contents  destroyed,  my  equipment  was 
reduced  to  a  portmanteau  and  such  things  as  I  could 
carry  along  with  it.  This  baggage  had  come  with  me 
so  far,  minus  an  umbrella.  I  was  more  fortunate  than 
several  others.  One  acquaintance,  an  Italian  contractor, 
had  lost  all  but  the  clothes  he  stood  in.  But  these  things 
were  trivial  compared  with   the  sacrifice  made  by  the 


278  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

Russians.  In  order  to  save  the  Chinese  Catholics,  the 
number  of  carts  being  limited,  Mr.  Kasignery,  the  chief 
engineer  of  Tiehling,  decided  to  leave  behind  half 
a  million  roubles  (about  ;^50,ooo).  Such  an  act  of 
generosity  under  such  circumstances  is  deserving  of  the 
highest  praise,  and  is  of  a  piece  with  what  I  afterwards 
saw  of  this  gentleman. 

*  In  the  dark  we  pushed  out,  and  had  abandoned  the 
settlement  by  dawn.  A  lurid  blaze  shot  up  behind  us, 
for  the  Russians  set  fire  to  their  own  houses  themselves. 
We  were  a  motley  throng  of  five  or  six  hundred  souls, 
and  over  twenty  carts.  A  large  portion  of  the  procession 
was  mounted  —  soldiers,  engineers,  employees.  Not 
having  a  horse,  I  went  on  foot  that  day,  and  afterwards 
sometimes  on  foot  or  the  back  of  a  horse,  and  latterly 
on  the  shaft  of  the  cart  in  which  were  the  French  nuns. 
During  this  remarkable  journey,  apart  from  the  fighting, 
two  of  our  difficulties  were  to  get  enough  food  and  sleep. 
On  one  occasion  I  was  glad  to  make  a  meal  of  a  piece 
of  stale  bread  and  some  dirty  water,  which,  being  cold, 
was  very  welcome.  And  as  for  sleep,  one  snatched  an 
hour  on  the  ground  when  one  could  get  it.  I  usually 
had  meals  with  the  engineers,  who  were  very  kind.  But, 
as  the  phrase  has  it,  h  la  guerre,  comme  h  la  guerre. 
Sometimes,  if  one  did  not  turn  up  when  food  was  ready, 
one  had  to  look  around  elsewhere.  I  was  never  as 
badly  off  as  the  priest  of  Tiehling,  Pere  Lamasse,  who 
one  day  became  so  giddy  from  lack  of  nourishment,  that 
he  was  afraid  of  falling  off  his  horse.  It  was  a  great 
blessing  that  there  was  a  good  supply  of  cold  water  from 
the  wells  along  the  road,  otherwise  men  and  horses 
might  have  been  in  a  terrible  plight  in  the  very  hot 
weather.  Though  the  roads  were  not  bad  until  towards 
the  end,  when  rain  fell,  yet  our  march  was  slow.     Thus 


The  Caravan  en  route  279 

the  enemy  had  time  either  to  advance  ahead  of  us,  or, 
which  is  more  hkely,  to  send  messengers  to  the  Chinese 
troops  along  our  route. 

*  The  first  day,  Sabbath,  July  8,  was  quiet,  without 
molestation.  But  on  the  second  day,  beyond  Kaiyuan, 
we  saw  the  Chinese  in  force  on  the  hills  in  our  rear. 
I  was  staying  behind  to  observe,  when  quite  near  me 
a  Russian  soldier  cried  out,  being  wounded  in  the  leg. 
Across  the  valley  the  rattle  of  musketry  lasted  for  a 
time.  The  caravan  hurried  on.  Then  our  troops 
retreated,  the  Chinese  following,  and  thus  at  intervals 
the  firing  continued.  At  last  we  reached  the  shelter 
of  the  Russian  station,  Sa-hetzu.  The  casualties  on  our 
side  were  not  many.  I  heard  that  many  Chinese  were 
killed.  Possibly  this  was  the  cause  of  their  not 
attacking  us  again  that  night. 

'  A  short  stage  of  eight  miles  brought  us  next  day 
to  Shuang-miao-tzu  ("  Twin  Temples  ").  The  Russian 
General  at  Harpin  had  telephoned  that  he  wished  us 
to  remain  at  this  place.  But  events  proved  such  a  plan 
to  be  quite  out  of  the  question,  with  our  small  body 
of  some  three  hundred  soldiers,  and  another  one 
hundred  or  so  armed  engineers  and  railway  employees, 
while  the  opposing  forces  might  number  thousands. 
On  that  day,  July  lo,  we  had  breakfasted,  and  I  was 
settling  down  to  have  a  read  and  sleep ;  indeed,  I 
was  just  dozing,  when  I  was  rudely  awakened  by  the 
hurry-scurry  around  me.  The  Chinese  Christians 
came  together  into  the  backyard  of  the  house,  and  knelt 
down  to  pray.  Bullets  whizzed  in  the  trees  over  our 
heads.  Where  was  the  enemy  ?  I  ventured  out  to 
peer  around.  The  settlement  was  on  an  eminence. 
Native  houses,  trees,  or  crops  offered  shelter  for  the 
attacking  parties.     Mounted   and  foot  poured  out   for 


28o  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

the  defence.  But  this  time  it  was  not  to  be  a  mere 
"  shoot-and-run-away,"  a  device  of  which  Celestials  are 
so  capable.  From  more  than  one  side,  the  attack  was 
kept  up  with  determination.  By  and  by,  our  men 
retired  to  the  three  compounds  on  the  hill  where  we 
were  staying.  From  roof  and  from  embrasure,  crack, 
crack,  went  the  deadly  Russian  rifle.  It  was  a  solemn 
night.  I  wondered  whether  God  meant  me  to  live  or 
d^ie.  Once  there  came  to  my  ears  the  confused  sound 
of  many  voices  and  a  whistling,  which  seemed  possibly 
to  be  the  rallying  of  the  Chinese  for  a  final  assault, 
but  which  I  afterwards  thought  may  have  been  their 
call  to  retire.  No  one  of  our  company  was  killed,  but 
about  ten  were  wounded. 

*  In  the  dead  of  night  quietly  we  slipped  away  ;  but 
still  in  the  teeth  of  the  foe.  Next  day  for  the  first 
time  we  were  met  fairly  in  front.  The  caravan  called 
a  halt.  Our  fearless  Cossacks  charged.  In  one  volley, 
it  was  said,  fifty  of  the  enemy  were  killed.  The 
Chinese  changed  their  point  of  attack,  but  numbers 
were  not  a  match  for  skill  and  pluck.  We  took  two 
colours,  one  of  Imperial  troops  and  the  other  with  the 
words,  "  Boxers  Braves "  {i.e,  soldiers),  thus  proving 
that  the  regular  soldiers  were  hand  in  hand  with  the 
Anti-Foreign  Society. 

*  A  sad  incident  occurred  that  day,  showing  how  in 
war  the  innocent  suffer  with  the  guilty.  A  Chinese 
evangelist,  Pere  Lamasse's  helper,  was  mistaken  by  a 
Cossack  for  one  of  the  enemy,  and  received  five  or  six 
sword  wounds.  On  the  occasions  where  villages  were 
set  on  fire  because  the  enemy  had  been  there,  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  peasants  who  did  not  manage  to 
escape  met  their  death.  I  saw  one  old  man  lying 
dead,   scorched   and    blistered,   where    he    had    fallen, 


Russian  Severities  281 

having   perhaps   run   out   from  a    burning  house  close 
by.     Once  at   a  burning  village    I  saw  some  Russians 
threatening  a  couple  of  Chinese  who  looked  like  farm 
labourers.     I  went  up  and  stepped  between.     When  I 
spoke   to  the   Chinese,  they  implored  me  despairingly 
to   help   them,  saying   they  were   innocent.     Knowing 
but   little  of  the   Russian  language,  I  turned  to  those 
beside   me   with    the   words,   "Not    soldier."     "That's 
a    highway   robber,"    replied   one   of    them;   "see    his 
hand"    (which  perhaps  was   bloody).     Crack  went  the 
Russian's   rifle    without    further    parley,  and    I    turned 
away   from  the   sad    spectacle.     How   could   I    or  any 
one   tell    for   certain    that    inoffensive-looking   Chinese 
were  not  really  Boxers  ?     A  soldier  one  easily  knew  by 
his  uniform,  but  to  judge  by  the  reports  one  had  often 
heard   before   the   fighting   began,   the   whole   country 
swarmed  with  them. 

'On  Thursday,  July  12,  we  had  a  long  day's 
march  from  12  p.m.  to  10  p.m.  Next  day  men  and 
horses  were  too  done  up  to  go  on,  so  we  remained  all 
day  in  the  village  where  we  had  quartered  the  night 
before.  I  had  sought  out  a  quiet  place  below  a  hedge 
of  trees  to  have  a  sleep ;  but  a  soldier  ordered  me  in 
nearer  the  others,  while  out  poured  the  hard-worked 
mounted  Cossacks  on  the  far  side  of  the  hedge.  The 
threatened  attack,  however,  collapsed,  for  the  Chinese 
fled,  and  our  rest  was  not  further  disturbed. 

'Saturday,  July  14,  saw  us  off  once  more  under  the 
burning  sun,  This  night  we  encamped  about  thirty 
miles  from  K'uan-ch'eng-tzu.  No  definite  news  from  the 
Russian  settlement  there,  but  bad  rumours.  The  sight 
of  telegraph  posts  sawed  off  near  the  bottom  did  not 
help  to  make  us  hopeful.  A  small  party  of  Cossacks 
was  sent  forward  to  find  out.     They  returned  the  follow- 


282   The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

ing  day  with  the  ominous  information  that  the  Russians 
had  gone,  and  that  their  settlement  was  in  the  hands  of 
Chinese  soldiers.  This  was  enough  to  make  us  give 
K'uan-ch'eng-tzu  a  wide  berth.  And  if  more  were 
needed  we  had  it,  for  that  morning  we  sustained  the 
sharpest  attack  of  any  on  our  route.  In  front,  from 
beneath  a  clump  of  trees  not  far  away,  came  the  fusilade 
of  the  unseen  Chinese.  The  carts  had  to  cross  an  un- 
protected space  before  they  could  reach  shelter.  It  was 
weird  work,  with  the  bullets  whizzing  over  our  heads. 
Behind  friendly  trees  and  some  houses  we  halted.  Some 
of  us  prayed.  The  "hurrah"  of  the  Russian  charge 
sounded  in  one's  ears.  When  the  fight  was  over,  three 
of  our  men  had  laid  down  their  lives,  and  five  were 
wounded.  On  a  sunny  hillside,  amid  the  tall  green 
stalks  of  unripe  millet,  a  grave  was  dug,  and  the  three 
men  lowered  into  it.  Then  for  the  first  time  I  heard 
the  solemn,  beautiful  chant  of  the  Greek  Church  Burial 
Service  sung  by  the  soldiers  themselves.  The  devout 
crossed  themselves  now  and  again.  Pere  Lamasse 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  threw  in  some  earth. 
Then  handful  after  handful  of  earth  was  thrown  in  by 
those  who  stood  around.  More  than  one  of  the  strong, 
rough  men  had  tears  in  their  eyes. 

'  After  a  consultation  had  been  held  as  to  the  direc- 
tion best  for  us  to  take,  in  which  the  two  French  priests 
and  I  had  some  say,  we  sheered  away  westward,  towards 
Mongolia.  It  was  now  that  one  enjoyed  an  all-night 
march,  and  but  for  drowsiness  it  was  enjoyable.  For 
we  knew  that  we  were  probably  free  from  bullets. 
Nothing  worse  than  sleeplessness  marred  our  peace, 
until  July  i8,  when  we  were  only  about  seventeen  miles 
from  the  River  Sungari,  and  it  looked  as  if  we  were 
to  reach  it  without  further  molestation.     But,  no, — the 


Chinese  Spies  283 

sound  of  firing  again !  Can  we  never  get  free  from  the 
Boxers  and  their  Imperial  allies  ?  By  and  by,  the  con- 
querors return,  bearing  aloft  a  fine  Chinese  standard, 
with  the  loss  of  one  Cossack  killed. 

'We  halted  for  food  at  a  deserted  railway  station 
— ice  still  in  the  ice-houses.  The  occupants  had  not 
been  gone  many  days,  and  the  houses  were  not  burned. 
I  had  had  a  meal  in  bits,  looking  out  for  anything  that 
turned  up  at  headquarters, — glad,  too,  when  I  could  get 
a  mug  of  tea.  Two  respectable-looking  Chinese  were 
brought  in  on  the  charge  of  being  spies.  They  said  they 
had  come  from  the  Sungari  that  morning,  and  that  all 
was  quiet — steamer  on  river,  and  railway  on  far  side 
intact.  The  news  seemed  too  good  to  be  true.  "  Ask 
them,"  said  one  of  the  engineers  to  me  in  French,  "  is 
it  really  true?"  The  men  held  firmly  to  their  word. 
They  said  they  were  foremen,  in  charge  of  labourers 
on  the  railway,  going  to  their  chief  office  to  get  money 
to  pay  their  men.  After  a  little,  some  more  Chinese 
were  dragged  or  pushed  in,  along  with  the  first  two, 
before  the  officers.  One  of  the  interpreters  translated 
for  the  accused.  But  it  was  of  no  avail ;  they  were 
executed.  I  felt  pretty  sure  that  those  two  had  told  the 
substantial  truth.  As  I  was  going  over  to  where  their 
heads  were  being  cut  off,  an  engineer  told  me  they  had 
been  caught  with  several  guns.  That  was  a  decisive 
piece  of  evidence.  Poor  Manchuria,  bleeding,  in  flames, 
hundreds  of  homes  deserted,  crops  untended,  the  avenger 
sweeping  up  and  down  the  land  to-day ! 

'  The  same  evening,  as  we  defiled  in  a  picturesque 
coil  over  hill  and  valley,  there  came  cheering  from  the 
van.  Slipping  from  my  seat  on  the  cart-shaft,  I  went 
forward  to  inquire.  Hurrah  !  hip,  hip,  hurrah  !  We  are 
safe  at  last,  for  one  hundred  and  forty  Cossacks  have 


284  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

come  to  meet  us,  and  the  way  is  clear  for  Harpin.  You 
may  guess  the  load  that  was  lifted  from  every  man  and 
woman  in  our  strained  and  weary  company.  The  file 
of  carts  was  now  mostly  occupied  with  wounded ; 
twenty-four  of  them, — sometimes  two  on  one  cart, — 
poor  fellows,  patient  and  uncomplaining,  jolted,  jolted, 
day  after  day.  Altogether,  eight  had  been  shot  dead 
or  died  of  wounds.  One  of  them  was  a  cheery,  brave 
young  technical  engineer,  with  whom  I  had  felt  quite  at 
home.  He  could  speak  some  Chinese.  As  he  lay  in 
the  cart  slowly  dying  from  a  chest  wound,  I  tried  to 
point  him  to  God.  He  made  no  reply,  and  perhaps  he 
did  not  understand.  His  breath  came  in  gasps,  his 
eyes  rolled.  I  felt  that  in  Mr.  Bagisloosky  I  had  lost  a 
friend. 

*  It  was  pitch  dark  when  we  reached  the  "  Second 
Sungari"  station,  Lao-shao-kou.  It  had  been  raining. 
But  even  to  sleep  on  wet  grass,  with  only  a  little  straw 
under  one's  wet  waterproof,  could  not  make  one  miserable 
when  the  haven  was  sure.  The  chief  engineer  and  staff 
had  already  cleared  out  not  long  ago.  The  engineer's  fine 
house  was  in  charge  of  Chinese  soldiers  when  we  arrived. 
They  must  have  been  more  or  less  friendly,  for  all  the 
damage  noticeable  was  that  they  had  broken  his  piano ! 

*  We  crossed  the  Sungari  on  July  19,  leaving  carts, 
horses,  locomotive,  houses,  wood,  etc.,  behind.  Only  the 
Cossacks'  horses  were  brought  over.  To  the  variety  of 
my  experiences  I  added  another.  Passing  the  night  in 
an  open  railway  truck,  there  came  on  a  storm  of  rain, 
which  took  the  glory  out  of  my  felt  hat,  and  ironstained 
some  of  the  few  white  things  that  remained  in  my 
possession. 

'  Friday,  July  20,  we  reached  Harpin,  and  had  a  great 
reception — military  band  playing,  high  officials  in  their 


Arrival  at  Harpin  285 

white  jackets  with  epaulettes,  shaking  hands      Hungry, 
we  go  to  the  cUib,  where  a  feast  is  awaiting  the  favoured 
ones      A  long  dining-hall  and  many  guests,  civil  and 
military       ''England    and    France    may    declare    war 
against  China,  but  Russia  will  not,"  said  the  engineer-m- 
chief  of  the  railway  to   me.      After  dinner  there  were 
toasts  and  speeches.     General  Guerngross,  in  command 
of  the  Russian  forces  in  Manchuria,  was  carried  round 
the  room.     The  Greek   Church  priest,  a  gentlemanly- 
looking  man,  in  a  long   robe  with  wide   leg-of-mutton 
sleeves,  rose   to   speak.      He   is   proposing   "The  Mis- 
sionaries,"-explained  the  doctor  beside  me,  in  English. 
Pere  Lamasse  replied  in  French.     It  seemed  to  me  that, 
as  the   only  representative   of  the   Protestant  Mission, 
I  should  also  speak.     So   I   went  forward,  and  m  my 
mother-tongue  thanked  the  Russian  officers  and  gentle- 
men in  the  name  of  the  Protestant  missionaries  for  their 
very  great  kindness.     It  was  not  much  return  to  make 
for  all  the  favours  I  had  received  at  their  hands.     Not 
very  many  of  the  company  could  have  understood  me, 
but  they  cheered  nevertheless.     During  the  proceedings 
my  respected  friend,  Mr.  Shidloosky,  head-engineer  of 
Liao-yang  (whose  proteg^  I  had  felt  myself  during  the 
march,  for  he  spoke  a  fair  amount  of  English,  and  had 
been  very  kind  to  me),  came  up  and  kissed  me  warmly. 
There   was    much    kissing,   according  to  the   Russian 

custom.  . 

'  Dr.  Naumov  was  to  be  my  host,  so  I  was  driven 
in  a  drosky  to  his  house,  near  the  hospital.  I  was 
surprised  at  the  size  of  the  town,  or  rather  towns, 
scattered  in  three  separate  places.  The  settlement  on 
the  bank  of  the  Sungari,  with  its  high  flour  mill,  police 
station,  and  shops,  strikes  one  as  a  busy  place  in  its  way. 
One  more  experience.      Lest  the  laundress  might  not 


286  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

have  my  dirty  clothes  ready  in  time  for  the  steamer, 
which  was  overdue,  I  tried  my  hand  at  washing  them 
myself. 

'  Flight  once  again  !     Unexpectedly  word  came  late 
on  July  22  from  Tsitsihar,  from  the  Governor-General 
of  Hei-lung-chiang   (the   most   northerly   of  the   three 
provinces  of  Manchuria),  that  all  non-combatants  were 
to  leave  Harpin.     Next  day  the  river  bank  at  the  wharf 
presented    a   varied   scene, — crowds  of  Russian  clerks, 
engineers,    employees     (men,    women,    and     children), 
Japanese   and   Chinese  (men    and  women),  boxes   and 
bundles,  chairs  and  samovars,  tents  and  railway  trucks, 
the  wounded  from  the  hospital  carefully  conveyed  from 
train    to   barge,  men   eager   to   get   quickly  on   board 
expostulating   with    those   in   charge,    a   pile   of  large 
loaves  of  bread  for  the  wounded,  and  individuals  with 
their   private   stores   of   eatables.     By  evening  we  had 
settled  down,  and    next   morning  at  dawn  two  paddle 
steamers,  each   towing   three   barges,  in  all  containing 
perhaps  three  thousand  souls,  left  the  moorings.     While 
the  loading  was  in  progress,  the   principal  of  the  two 
priests  went  through  the  crowded  barges  in  gold-laced 
vestments,  and  a  whisk  and  cross,  sprinkling  us  with  holy 
water,  while  the  more  devout  men  and  women  pressed 
forward  to  kiss  the  metal  symbol  of  the  death  of  Christ, 
and  the  hand  which  held  it,  themselves  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross. 

'  I  was  on  the  barge  that  carried  the  wounded,  and 
found  new  friends,  one  being  Mr.  Kishevitch,  a  Polish 
engineer  who  had  been  in  America,  and  spoke  very  good 
English.  I  was  fortunate  in  having  a  place  on  a  broad 
wooden  shelf  in  one  of  the  holds  to  sleep  on.  Not 
having  provisions  for  the  journey,  again  the  hospitality 
of  strangers  kept  me  well  supplied.     The  second  day  out 


ox   THE    SIBERIAN    RAILWAY. 


A    STATION    IN    MANCHURIA. 
HOUSES   FOR    MILITARY    GUARD. 


STEAMER    ON    THE    AMUR. 
ZIGZAG   AT    GENGHIS. 


Arrival  at  Habarovsk  287 

we  met  the  Russian  fleet  of  steamers  and  barges  that 
was  convoying  an  army  of  three  thousand,  it  was  said. 
Just  a  short  time  before  we  reached  them,  they  had 
captured  the  important  fort  near  San-shing,  which  com- 
mands the  river. 

'  The  previous  steamer  that  had  gone  from  Harpin 
had  been  fired  on  with  effect.  Had  we  started  on  the 
23rd,  as  we  were  ordered  to,  we  might  have  had  a  bad 
lookout.  The  remains  of  Russian  settlements  along  the 
banks  showed  the  hand  of  the  incendiary.  But  during 
our  voyage  we  were  nowhere  molested.  We  had  no 
military  guard,  and  so  were  not  in  a  position  for 
defence,  had  there  been  trouble.  The  man  next  me  in 
the  hold  had  a  nasty  wound  in  his  arm,  received  in 
fighting  at  the  settlement  near  San-shing.  The  bullet 
which  struck  him  had  been  flattened  by  first  penetrating 
six  sheets  of  corrugated  iron,  and  so  the  wound  was  a 
wide  one.  He  was  evidently  in  pain  ;  I  could  not  do 
anything  to  help  him  except  sometimes  light  his 
cigarette.  The  Russians  are  great  smokers  of  cigarettes 
under  almost  any  circumstances.  I  have  seen  a  lady 
light  hers  between  the  courses  of  a  meal,  and  a  man 
puffing  away  as  he  stepped  on  to  the  spring-board  for  a 
plunge  in  the  sea. 

*  After  a  voyage  of  five  and  a  half  days,  on  July  29 
we  reached  our  destination,  Habarovsk,  an  important 
town,  beautifully  situated  on  the  Amur,  in  Eastern 
Siberia.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  or  so  wounded 
that  were  with  us,  three  had  died,  and  seven  had  lost 
their  reason.  Here  again  the  "Orthodox"  Church 
showed  how  she  keeps  in  touch  with  public  life.  On 
the  river  bank,  or  street,  at  the  landing-place,  in  the 
midst  of  a  downpour  of  rain,  two  priests  in  vestments 
held  a  thanksgiving  service.     There  was  again  the  kissing 


288  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

of  a  cross  by  the  bystanders,  while  we  on  the  landing 
barge  stood  bareheaded.  Certainly,  if  ever  there  were 
fit  occasion  for  thanksgiving  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  it 
was  then.  God  had  wonderfully,  and  sometimes,  as  it 
were,  miraculously  preserved  us  amid  many  perils. 

'  Next  morning,  I  took  the  train  for  Vladivostock, 
arriving  on  July  31,  and  finding,  to  my  surprise,  that 
a  party  of  our  own  Irish  Presbyterian  missionaries 
was  still  there.  It  was  a  sad  group,  for  Mrs.  Greig,  of 
our  Mission,  had  been  buried  that  morning.  Though 
we  talked  of  separating,  and  some  of  going  to 
Japan,  we  remained  there  some  time.  Vladivostock 
is  picturesquely  built  on  hillsides  along  a  neck  of  land 
jutting  out  into  a  long  arm  of  the  sea.  Besides  the 
large  Greek  church,  there  are  Lutheran  and  Roman 
Catholic  churches.  We  acted  on  the  assumption  that 
we  should  resume  our  work  in  Manchuria  when  the 
trouble  is  over,  even  if  Russia  is  then  the  avowed  owner 
of  the  country.  I  was  told  that  the  Greek  Church  has 
enough  to  do  at  home,  and  will  not  send  missionaries  to 
the  Chinese,  and,  moreover,  will  not  interfere  with  our 
work.  This  last  statement  we  have  not  proof  for  as  yet, 
but  the  rest,  from  what  one  sees  of  the  Greek  Church, 
seems  very  probable.  While  among  Russians  the  feeling 
against  England  is  strong,  they  treat  Englishmen  with 
courtesy,  and  even  employ  them  in  mines  and  in  other 
ways  in  Manchuria.  They  may  come  to  understand  our 
non-political  and  purely  religious  ends.  We  need  much 
prayer  for  our  native  Christians  in  their  fiery  trial,  and 
for  the  future  of  the  Church  of  God  in  this  land.' 

The  following  brief  account  shows  how  the  fugitives 
from  Kirin  fared  : — 

'At  the  time  of  the  Boxer  outbreak  in    1900,  the 
missionaries  resident  in  Kirinwere,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drysdale, 


Fugitives  from  Kirin  289 

of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  and  two  children, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  James  A.  Greig,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  D.  L.  Fisher 
and  infant,  Rev.  A.  R.  Crawford,  M.A.,  Rev.  W.  Miskelly, 
M.A.,  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Mission.  During  the 
month  of  June  the  two  latter  were  out-on-tour  in  the 
Ku-yu-shu  district,  north  of  Kirin,  and  saw  nothing 
disquieting  in  the  state  of  the  country.  On  their 
return  to  the  city  of  Kirin,  however,  they  learned 
from  Dr.  Greig  that  all  sorts  of  evil  rumours  had 
been  circulated  in  the  city,  and  that  placards  and 
handbills,  denouncing  foreigners  and  exhorting  the 
people  to  practise  Boxer  drill,  were  being  disseminated 
everywhere.  Meanwhile,  chapel-preaching  was  carried 
on  with  redoubled  energy,  and  the  audiences  were 
large. 

'  On  the  second  day  after  the  return  of  Messrs. 
Crawford  and  Miskelly,  a  code  telegram  was  received 
from  colleagues  in  Newchwang,  which  said  that  war 
had  been  declared  between  China  and  the  Powers,  and 
warned  us  to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  for  flis^ht. 
This  telegram  had  taken  nine  days  to  come  from  New- 
chwang, and  we  learned  that  the  Tartar  General  had 
taken  charge  of  the  telegraph  office,  and  was  now 
allowing  no  private  messages.  As  the  Tartar  General, 
Ch'ang  Shun,  had  the  reputation  of  being  anti-foreign, 
and  we  had  cause  to  know  that  his  reputation  was  not 
undeserved,  we  decided,  on  consultation  over  the  belated 
telegram,  to  take  advantage  of  the  kind  offer  which 
had  on  the  previous  day  been  pressed  on  us  of 
hospitality  and  protection  in  the  Russian  colony  at  the 
west  end  of  the  city.  The  city  front  lies  along  the  bank 
of  the  Sungari,  which  here  runs  almost  exactly  east  and 
west.  The  Russian  colony  was  situated  outside  the 
west  gate,  and  the  mission  houses  outside  the  east  gate, 
19 


290  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

so  that  the  whole  city  lay  between  us  and  our  friends. 
We  were,  however,  able  to  communicate  by  Russian 
telephone,  from  a  little  station  where  timber  was  landed, 
and  the  engineer-in-chief  at  the  colony  at  once  replied, 
requesting  us  to  get  on  board  a  little  railway  steamer, 
which  happened  to  be  lying  at  said  station,  without 
delay. 

'  Having  packed  up  a  few  necessaries,  we  started  off 
about  midnight  by  the  light  of  lanterns  for  the  place 
where  the  steamer  lay.  We  had  to  pass  the  arsenal  on 
our  way,  and  the  unusual  procession  of  lanterns  seems  to 
have  attracted  attention,  for  a  gun  was  fired  from  the 
arsenal  wall,  whether  at  us  or  not  we  did  not  know,  but 
we  were  relieved  that  the  shooting  was  not  repeated. 
We  steamed  slowly  up  river,  past  the  sleeping  city,  and 
reached  the  Russian  colony  in  the  grey  dawn,  and  were 
most  kindly  received  and  attended  to.  Later  on  in  the 
morning,  the  prefect  called,  and  informed  Engineer 
Daniel  that  he  could  not  guarantee  the  peace  of  the  city  ; 
that  affairs  looked  bad,  and  within  a  few  days  the  soldiers 
and  populace  might  be  beyond  control.  He  urged  Mr. 
Daniel  to  send  away  at  once  all  the  women  and  non- 
combatants.  This  advice  was  understood  to  have  come 
from  the  Tartar  General,  and  the  Russians  decided  to 
act  on  it.  Preparations  were  made  for  a  start  next 
morning,  and  we  were  offered  places  on  the  little  steamer, 
with  an  allowance  of  20  lbs.  of  baggage  each.  We 
gladly  accepted  this  offer.  Meanwhile  the  steamer  took 
some  of  us  down  stream  against  the  east  suburb,  and 
allowed  us  to  visit  our  houses  and  make  choice  of  what 
we  preferred  to  include  in  our  20  lbs.  We  missionaries 
urged  the  Russians  to  start  before  daylight  next  morning, 
as  we  thought  it  best  to  avoid  being  seen  from  the  city 
and  perhaps  fired  on  with  cannon.     Russians,  however, 


A  Long  Steamer  Journey  291 

are  not  easily  hurried,  and  it  was  about  nine  o'clock  and 
full  daylight  of  July  2  when  the  little  steamer,  laden 
with  some  eighty,  mostly  deck  passengers,  glided  swiftly 
down  stream  in  full  view  of  the  city.  As  we  passed 
the  Tartar  General's  palace,  which  fronts  the  river,  our 
dauntless  captain  gave  a  long  salute  of  the  steam  whistle 
by  way  of  farewell,  which  had  the  effect  of  attracting 
crowds  of  people  to  witness  our  departure.  At  the  east 
suburb  wood  station  we  made  a  long  stop  to  take  in  fire- 
wood, but  finally  got  safely  and  quietly  off.  It  looked 
more  like  starting  for  a  picnic  than  flying  for  our  lives, 
and  some  of  the  Chinese  who  saw  us  off  seemed  to  think 
it  was  a  picnic  such  as  the  Russians  had  had  not  long 
before. 

'  The  weather  was  dreadfully  hot,  and  as  the  deck 
was  only  protected  by  a  strip  of  canvas  about  a  yard 
wide,  the  ladies  and  children  had  a  very  trying  time. 
The  water  in  the  river  was  low,  and  our  steamer  ran 
aground  frequently,  although  sounding  was  maintained 
all  the  time  with  a  long  pole.  Often  we  lay  for  hours 
before  our  crew  could  lever  us  off.  We  also  stopped 
usually  once  a  day  for  firewood.  This  gave  us  oppor- 
tunities of  cooling  ourselves  by  having  bathes  from  the 
rafts  moored  at  the  wood  stations.  We  lay  to  at  night. 
In  three  days  we  arrived  at  Lao-shao-kou,  where  the 
railway  bridge  over  the  Sungari  (north  of  K'uan-ch'eng- 
tzu)  is  to  be.  We  were  glad  to  hear  that  trains  were 
running  to  Harpin,  but  we  had  to  sleep  another  night  on 
the  deck  of  the  little  steamer.  It  turned  out  to  be  a 
very  wet  one,  and  we  (most  of  us,  at  least)  got  well 
soaked.  Meanwhile  the  missionary  party  from  K'uan- 
ch'eng-tzu  had  arrived,  having  travelled  thence  by 
Chinese  cart.' 

Dr.  J.  R.  Gillespie,  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Mission 


292  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

in  K'uan-ch'eng-tzu,  thus  describes  the  flight  of  their 
party : — 

'  In  June  1900  the  following  missionaries  of  the  Irish 
Presbyterian  Church  were  living  in  K'uan-ch'eng-tzu,  a 
city  of  about  ninety  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  about 
three  hundred  nniles  north  of  Newchwang,  and  eighty 
miles  west  of  Kirin  :  R.  J.  Gordon,  M.A.,  M.B.,  Mrs. 
Gordon  and  five  children  ;  Rev.  A.  Weir ;  and  J.  R. 
Gillespie,  M.A.,  M.B.,  and  Mrs.  Gillespie.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  month.  Boxer  agents  began  practising 
on  the  street;  and  even,  it  was  said,  in  the  Yamen. 
Placards  also  were  posted  in  the  streets,  urging  the 
expulsion  of  the  foreigners, — a  thing  unprecedented  in 
K'uan-ch'eng-tzu. 

'Dr.  Gordon,  who,  on  account  of  medical  services 
rendered  to  his  wife  and  his  brother,  was  on  friendly 
terms  with  the  mandarin,  sent  him  a  copy  of  an  anti- 
foreign  placard.  The  mandarin  responded  by  issuing  a 
proclamation  threatening  imprisonment  to  those  who 
should  speak  ill  of  foreigners,  or  circulate  placards 
hostile  to  them.  The  placards  ceased,  but  there  were 
still  unpleasant  rumours,  to  which  weight  was  given  by 
the  daily  rise  in  the  price  of  silver,  and  a  steady  diminu- 
tion in  the  number  of  hospital  patients.  On  June  29, 
two  letters  arrived  :  one  from  Newchwang,  telling  us 
that  the  Chin-chow  and  Kwang-ning  missionaries  had 
had  to  leave  their  stations,  and  were  already  in  the  port ; 
the  other  from  K'ai-yuan, — four  hundred  li  south  of  us, 
— saying  that  the  missionaries  there  were  on  the  point 
of  leaving  for  Newchwang.  Next  day,  a  telegraph 
office  was  newly  opened  in  our  city,  and  we  took 
advantage  of  it  to  send  messages  to  Newchwang  and 
Kirin,  asking  for  information.  The  Kirin  reply  came  in 
the  following  evening,  in  German  as  a  precaution.     It 


Flight  Northwards  293 

said  that  the  missionaries  there  were  going  that  night, 
under  cover  of  darkness,  to  the  Russian  settlement,  and 
were  to  leave  next  day  on  a  river  steamer,  en  route  for 
Harpin.  We  decided  to  follow  them,  and  were  busy 
next  day  packing  when  the  Newchwang  reply  arrived. 
It  said  :  "  Moukden  houses,  churches,  hospitals  burnt ; 
go  north."  The  Russians  kindly  promised  us  an  escort 
of  two  Cossacks  to  Lao-shao-kou,  a  newly  arisen  town 
on  the  River  Sungari,  from  which  we  could  get  by  rail 
to  Harpin.  We  informed  the  civil  and  the  military 
magistrates  of  our  intended  departure,  and  entrusted  our 
property  to  their  care.  They  promised  to  send  soldiers 
twice  a  day  to  see  that  our  property  was  not  molested,  and 
sent  a  guard  of  six  soldiers  with  us  to  Lao-shao-kou. 

'  We  set  out  in  carts  at  7  a.m.  on  Tuesday,  July  3. 
Quite  a  number  of  the  Christians  came  to  see  us  off, 
and  a  good  many  of  them  accompanied  us  as  far  as  the 
Russian  settlement,  about  three  miles.  After  a  little 
delay  there,  we  set  out  with  our  curious  guard  of  two 
Cossacks  and  six  Chinese  soldiers.  At  first  we  kept 
along  close  by  the  railway  bank,  at  which  work  was 
going  on  as  usual.  At  midday,  we  stopped  at  a 
Russian  settlement,  and  took  our  midday  meal  in  the 
open  air  in  a  little  grove  of  fruit  trees.  The  Chinese 
soldiers  and  carters  did  not  like  this,  however,  as  their 
wants  are  more  readily  supplied  at  a  Chinese  inn. 
Accordingly,  at  the  first  opportunity,  they  insisted  on 
going  off  to  the  Chinese  road  ;  and  the  Cossacks,  who 
had  orders  not  to  leave  the  railway  route,  left  us,  and 
we  saw  them  no  more.  From  this  point  we  kept  to 
the  Chinese  road,  and  stayed  at  Chinese  inns  at  night, 
but  without  meeting  with  any  incivility.  Our  Chinese 
escort  was  polite  and  obliging,  helping  to  carry  things 
into  the  inns  for  us. 


294  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

'  Our  first  day's  journey  was  so  uneventful  that  Dr. 
Gordon  was  disposed  to  go  back  to  K'uan-ch'eng-tzu 
next  day.  Had  he  done  so,  he  would  have  arrived  on 
the  eve  of  battle  between  the  Russians  and  the  Chinese. 
On  the  evening  of  our  third  day  out,  we  arrived  at  Lao- 
shao-kou,  where  we  were  made  comfortable  by  a  Russian 
captain,  whose  child  had  been  treated  medically  by  Dr. 
Gordon  some  months  before.  Here  we  found  that  our 
Kirin  friends  had  arrived  the  same  day. 

*  Next  morning  we  were  taken  across  the  Sungari 
in  a  steamer,  and  got  on  board  a  train,  which  started 
about  1.30  p.m.  We  shared  with  Mrs.  Daniel,  wife  of 
the  chief  engineer  at  Kirin,  the  only  passenger  carriage 
there  was,  a  third-class  one.  The  rest  of  the  Russians 
were  in  covered  waggons,  and  there  were  in  addition 
large  numbers  of  Chinese  on  open  waggons.  We 
reached  Harpin  about  8.30  p.m.,  and  were  allowed  to 
sleep  in  the  train  all  night. 

'  Next  morning  we  established  ourselves  in  a  Chinese 
inn  close  to  the  station,  but  the  Russians  did  not  con- 
sider this  a  safe  place,  as  it  was  outside  their  settlement. 
They  put  their  school  at  our  disposal,  as  the  school 
had  broken  up.  Here  the  ladies  and  children  occupied 
one  large  room,  and  the  gentlemen  another.  We  had 
meals  in  a  hall  between  the  two  rooms ;  two  meals  a 
day  were  sent  gratis  from  a  neighbouring  hotel ;  the 
rest  we  were  easily  able  to  provide  for  ourselves.  We 
were  just  about  settled  in  the  school  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  July  7,  when  some  of  our  party  met  Dr.  Muir, 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Mission,  who  had  just  come 
in  from  Ashiho,  his  station,  to  get  news  ;  having  received 
a  warning  letter  from  K'ai-yuan.  Ashiho  was  within 
easy  reach  of  Harpin,  being  a  station  on  the  railway. 
Mr.  Miskelly  accompanied  Dr.  Muir  next  morning  to 


Troubles  at  Harpin  295 

render  assistance.  Large  numbers  of  Chinese  soldiers 
had  assembled  at  Ashiho,  and  it  was  felt  that  the 
greatest  expedition  should  be  used. 

'  On  arrival,  they  found  Rev.  Mr.  Robertson  preach- 
ing. They  went  into  the  chapel  and  sat  till  the  service 
was  over,  but  managed  to  slip  a  note  to  the  preacher, 
with  the  news  that  they  must  all  leave  at  once.  As 
soon  as  the  congregation  was  dismissed,  a  hurried  con- 
sultation was  held,  carts  were  procured,  and  a  few  things 
hastily  packed.  The  whole  party,  consisting  of  Rev.  D. 
and  Mrs.  Robertson,  Rev.  Mr.  M'Intyre,  and  Dr.,  Mrs., 
and  baby  Muir,  reached  Harpin  safe  that  night. 

*  Meanwhile  things  began  to  appear  threatening  in 
Harpin.  We  were  told  that  the  Chinese  had  attacked 
the  Russian  settlement  at  K'uan-ch'eng-tzu,  two  days 
after  our  departure,  and  that  the  Mission  houses  there 
were  burned.  The  Russians  decided  to  send  their  own 
women  and  children  all  away,  down  the  Sungari.  They 
very  kindly  allowed  us  to  travel  in  one  of  the  four  barges. 
We  got  on  a  train  on  Tuesday  morning,  July  lO,  and 
went  down  in  open  trucks  to  the  river  bank,  considerably 
more  than  an  hour's  ride  on  a  slow  train.  We  were 
towed  in  a  barge  by  a  stern  paddle  steamer,  and  had  an 
uneventful  voyage,  lasting  a  little  over  four  days.  It 
was  feared  we  might  be  fired  on  at  the  San-shing 
(Chinese)  forts,  but  we  were  allowed  to  pass.  There 
were  a  few  cases  of  sickness  on  board,  but  not  of  an 
alarming  nature.  On  Saturday  afternoon,  July  14,  we 
passed  fifteen  steamers,  mostly  towing  two  or  three 
barges  each,  going  up  with  soldiers,  guns,  and  horses 
to  the  relief  of  Harpin,  which  was  besieged  a  few 
days  after  we  left.  The  same  evening  we  arrived  at 
Habarovsk,  at  the  junction  of  the  Amur  with  the  Usuri. 
We  were  now  out  of  Chinese   territory,  and  thankful 


296  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

to  have  escaped  without  seeing  any  fighting  or  other 
horrors.' 

Whilst  these  and  similar  events  were  in  progress, 
the  destruction  of  the  property  of  the  Irish  and  Scotch 
Missions  was  accomplished.  The  headquarters  of  both 
Missions  is  in  Moukden,  and  large  residential  premises, 
a  handsome  chapel  and  well-appointed  hospital  and 
other  buildings,  had  been  erected  there.  The  tale  of  the 
destruction  of  these  buildings  is  graphically  told  by 
Rev.  John  Ross,  D.D.,  the  pioneer  and  founder  of  the 
mission  work  in  Manchuria.     He  writes  as  follows : — 

'  Er-ta-jen,  or  "  Number  Two  Excellency,"  is  an 
official  peculiar  to  Moukden,  the  "  second  "  capital.  He 
is  second  in  power  and  influence  as  in  rank  to  the 
Viceroy.  The  latter  is  over  the  "  Three  Eastern  Pro- 
vinces," as  Manchuria  is  called.  The  "  Second  "  is  over 
all  the  Manchus,  but  subordinate  in  the  office  to  the 
Viceroy.  Both  officials  must  be  pure  Manchus,  and 
staunch  supporters  of  the  throne.  Ching  Ch'ang  was 
the  name  of  the  second  official  in  1900.  His  younger 
brother  was  high  in  office  in  Peking,  and  had  intimate 
relations  with  the  Court.  He  had  the  fullest  knowledge 
of  the  actions  and  the  aims  of  the  Boxers,  and  their 
relations  to  the  party  in  power.  Through  him  Ching 
Ch'ang  was  kept  abreast  of  the  entire  Boxer  movement, 
which  was  to  throw  off  from  the  shoulders  of  the  Manchu 
Government  the  hated  yoke  of  the  foreigner — by  the 
magical  influence  of  another  Joan  of  Arc.  There  were 
constant  and  private  messengers  running  with  all  speed 
between  the  palaces  of  the  brothers  in  Peking  and 
Moukden  respectively.  The  Viceroy  had  his  own, 
and  received  his  own  news  from  Court ;  but  Ching 
Ch'ang's  palace  was  the  destination  of  all,  especially 
Boxer   news.     The    Viceroy    was   sceptical    as   to   the 


The  Boxers  at  Moukden  297 

utility  of  the  Boxer  movement ;  his  colleague  was 
insanely  enthusiastic  in  their  favour,  hoping  by  them  to 
oust  the  disturbing  foreigner  from  the  sacred  soil  of 
China. 

'  When  the  Boxer  representatives  came  to  Moukden, 
they  passed  the  Viceroy's  palace  and  made  for  that  of 
Ching  Ch'ang.  Not  only  did  they  find  this  official  favour- 
able, but  several  superior  Manchu  officials.  For  here 
we  have  five  of  the  six  Boards  of  Peking,  the  officials  in 
which  are  all  Manchus.  The  Boxers  boldly  began  the 
work  of  initiating  members  publicly  in  the  squares  and 
along  the  city  walls.  Their  presence  and  action — pre- 
ceded by  the  stories  of  Shantung  and  Chih-li — caused  an 
abnormal  excitement.  The  attention  of  the  Viceroy 
was  possibly  attracted  to  them.  Though  he  is  a  very 
gentle  man,  and  is  a  devout  beliver  in  laissez  faire^  he 
felt  constrained  to  take  action  against  those  who,  by 
their  hallucinations,  were  threatening  great  disturbance 
of  the  peace.  He  issued  a  proclamation  against  the 
Boxers,  in  which  he  denounced  them  as  rebels,  and 
threatened  severe  measures  if  they  performed  in  public. 
This  proclamation  was  dated  the  i8th  day  of  the  5th 
moon.  It  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  peace-loving 
people,  who  are  the  majority  and  the  best  of  the  dwellers 
in  Moukden.  The  proclamation  was  posted  on  the 
eight  gates  of  the  inner  city. 

'  Meantime  considerable  numbers  of  youths  and 
maidens  resorted  to  the  Boxers  and  practised  in  private. 
The  soldiers  and  the  majority  of  his  officials  largely 
sympathised  with  the  Boxers.  The  Viceroy  was  de- 
nounced as  unpatriotic  and  the  "  friend  of  the  foreigner." 
Daily  he  was  urged  by  Ching  Ch'ang  and  his  fellow- 
believers  to  issue  a  proclamation  in  favour  of  the  Boxers 
and    against    the  foreigners.     They  even  threatened  to 


298  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

take  his  life  if  he  continued  obstinate.  But  obstinate  he 
did  continue  until  more  potent  influences  made  them- 
selves felt.  The  excitement  was  intense  as  the  official 
disagreement  was  noised  abroad.  Foreigners  in  the 
city  were  drawn  into  its  vortex,  through  the  Christians, 
who  knew  all  that  was  going  on,  and  were  thoroughly 
alarmed.  So  many  riots  and  troubles  have  threatened 
in  Moukden  which  never  came  to  anything,  that  the 
more  experienced  foreigners  were  perhaps  less  alarmed 
than  subsequent  events  justified. 

'  In  the  endless  buzz  of  excitement,  the  whole  city 
was  electrified  at  seeing  on  the  city  gates  another  pro- 
clamation, by  which  all  the  threats  were  withdrawn,  and 
the  good  Boxers  were  gently  exhorted  to  keep  the  peace. 
This  was  published  on  June  19.  To  the  Boxers  this 
was  a  sign  of  the  capitulation  of  the  Viceroy,  and 
their  audacity  knew  no  bounds.  It  was  believed  at 
the  time — it  was  made  publicly  known  afterwards — that 
in  the  interval  between  the  two  proclamations  a  secret 
edict  had  come  from  Peking,  binding  the  hands  of  the 
Viceroy,  and  compelling  him  at  least  to  permit  them 
full  liberty  to  enact  their  own  drama.  Indeed,  the  edict 
commanded  the  extermination  of  the  foreigner.  The 
Viceroy  kept  this  edict  secret  for  some  time,  despite  the 
many  efforts  of  Chin  Ch'ang  and  his  sympathisers  to 
compel  its  public  issue,  that  the  work  of  destruction 
might  commence.  Though  all  the  official  world  of 
Moukden  knew  of  its  existence,  he  refused  to  publish 
it.  The  Boxers  threatened  to  kill  him,  but  he  did  not 
move. 

'  During  the  interval  between  the  two  proclamations, 
but  after  receipt  of  the  edict,  a  friendly  official  called  by 
night  on  Dr.  Christie,  the  senior  missionary  in  Moukden, 
informing  him  of  the  great  danger  to  the  foreigners  from 


ox    THE    SIBERIAN    RAILWAY. 


TRAIN   AT   BAIKAL   STATION. 
TRAIN    DE    LUXE,    WITH    OBSERVATION    CAR. 
A    SIDING    STATION. 


The  Tsai  Li  Sect  299 

the  anarchy  in  the  city,  and  the  insubordination  of 
the  soldiers.  He  urged  that  the  foreign  women  and 
children  should  go  at  once,  and  only  a  few  men  remain, 
who  could  get  away  easily  a  day  or  two  later.  He 
called  at  night  and  by  stealth  ;  but  it  is  believed  that  he 
did  not  go  unknown  to  the  Viceroy. 

'The   missionaries   and   elders   connected   with   the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Manchuria  had  met  in  presbytery 
for  a  fortnight  in  the  beginning  of  May,  to  discuss  the 
affairs  of  the  Church.     Except  the  desultory  attacks  of 
the  Tsai  Li  sect,  there  was  not  a  cloud  as  large  as  a 
man's  hand  over  the  Manchurian  political  horizon.     The 
Presbytery    deliberated,   decided,    and    was    dismissed, 
without  any  special  reference  to  possible  upheavals  in 
the   future.     They  parted,  each  to  his  own   sphere,  in 
perfect  peace,  and  with  great  hopes  of  a  most  prosperous 
work  during   the   following  year.     Over  five   thousand 
baptisms  had  been  reported  for  less  than  twelve  months, 
and  more  than  seven  thousand  names  were  on  the  lists 
of    applicants    for    baptism.      "Enquirers"    into     the 
doctrines  of  Christianity  were  too  numerous  to  be  noted. 
The  only  reference  to  politics  in  the  Presbytery  was  a 
resolution  to  have  nothing  to  do,   as   a    Church,  with 
Yamen  business.     This  did  not,  of  course,  imply  that 
no  effort  would  be  made  in  behalf  of  a  Christian  who 
was  in  serious  danger  of  persecution  on  account  of  his 
faith.     Probably  for  the  first  time  the  native  elders  were 
on   this    matter   completely   of  the  same  mind  as  the 
missionaries.      The    doings    in    Shantung    and   Chih-li 
were   known    from   the   newspapers   and    by   gossiping 
rumour.     But  they  seemed  as  far  away  as  the  war  in 
the  Transvaal.    But  now,  a  month  after  the  Presbytery 
separated,  the    missionaries   are   warned  by   a   friendly 
official    to   flee   for  their  lives;   and   this  official  dared 


o 


00  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 


not  appear  by  day.  So  sudden  and  so  overwhelm- 
ingly complete  was  the  anti-foreign  craze  set  ablaze 
by  the  Boxers. 

'The  native  pastors  and  elders  daily  urged  the 
same  advice  as  the  friendly  official.  They  showed  that 
matters  had  become  so  serious  that  it  was  impossible 
for  the  missionaries  to  save  themselves ;  much  less 
could  they  be  of  any  service  to  the  native  Christians. 
The  Viceroy  had  completely  lost  control  of  his  sub- 
ordinate officials  and  of  the  troops,  the  latter  especially 
publicly  fraternising  with  the  Boxers.  The  city  magis- 
trate (Hsien)  was  brave  enough  to  imprison  a  few 
Boxer  leaders  for  disturbing  the  peace.  Chin  Ch'ang 
went  in  person  and  bailed  them  out.  From  that  hour, 
whatever  authority  there  was  in  the  city  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Boxers. 

'  On  Saturday  morning,  June  23,  the  ladies  and 
children,  accompanied  by  junior  missionaries,  started 
for  the  railway.  By  the  courtesy  of  the  Russian 
engineers  they  arrived,  by  the  construction  engine, 
safely  in  Newchwang.  Dr.  Christie,  Mr.  Fulton,  and 
Dr.  Young  remained,  as  they  could  move  away  more 
freely,  if  matters  came  to  extremity.  But  they  too 
were  urged  by  the  Christians  to  go.  For  while  they 
remained  in  this  city  no  Christian  could  go  away.  They 
could,  of  course,  be  of  no  service  in  protecting  the 
foreigner ;  but  they  could  not  forsake  the  foreigner  if 
there  was  any  risk  to  the  latter.  If,  however,  the 
missionaries  left  the  city,  the  Christians  would  feel 
morally  free  to  go  each  his  own  way  for  his  personal 
safety.  With  the  departure  of  the  foreigner,  it  was 
just  possible  that  the  anti-foreign  craze  might  subside. 
The  missionaries  clearly  saw  that  their  presence  was  a 
real    danger,   instead    of  a    problematical    help    to    the 


Riots  at  Moukden  301 

Christians.     Yet   they   remained   over   the   Sunday  for 
further  developments. 

'  Dr.  Christie  had  long  been  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school,  which  is  attended  usually  by  about 
two  hundred  men,  who  come  for  fuller  Christian  in- 
struction. On  this  day,  the  usual  number  was  present. 
The  work  of  the  day  went  on,  but  with  a  feeling  of 
suppressed  excitement.  The  Hsien  had  sent  thirty 
soldiers  to  guard  the  door,  as  there  had  been  threats  of 
burning  down  the  church  that  day.  After  the  Sunday 
school,  the  native  Pastor  Liu  entered  the  pulpit.  His^ 
text  was  the  story  of  the  offering  of  Isaac.  As  the 
subject  of  discourse,  he  selected  the  topic  of  the  inter- 
vention of  God  when  the  resources  of  man  were  ex- 
hausted. When  man's  hand  fainted  and  fell  down  in 
utter  hopelessness,  then  was  the  time  for  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  hand  of  God  in  power  unto  salvation.  A 
more  eloquent  and  impressive  sermon  the  hearers  never 
listened  to.  And  Pastor  Liu  can  be  as  impressive  and 
eloquent  as  almost  any  preacher  in  any  tongue.  After 
a  discourse  of  about  an  hour's  length  on  the  topic, 
he  wound  up  with  a  perfervid  exhortation,  concluding 
with  the  appeal,  "Be  faithful  unto  death,"  whatever 
occurs.  It  was  a  notable  and  fitting  commencement  of 
the  week,  the  end  of  which  was  to  see  the  beginning  of 
a  revolution  in  Manchuria  which  has  already  wrought 
such  immense  changes — changes  which  will  continue  to 
go  on — till  when  ?  towards  what  ? 

'  During  the  whole  of  that  day,  the  streets  everywhere 
resounded  with  the  unearthly  shouts  of  the  Boxers, 
"  Slay,"  "  Burn."  They  were  accompanied  by  great 
crowds,  some  from  curiosity,  most  from  sympathy.  The 
Christians,  who  live  all  over  the  city,  knew  that  the 
rioters  had   decided  to  act,  and  the  missionaries  were 


302  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

again  appealed  to.  When  they  consented  to  leave  on 
the  Monday  morning,  the  Christians  were  relieved  of 
an  overwhelming  weight  of  responsibility.  They  were 
more  anxious  for  the  foreigners  than  for  themselves. 
The  few  friendly  officials  were  also  gratified  at  the 
resolution. 

'  Next  morning  early  the  three  brethren  departed 
for  the  friendly  railway,  twelve  miles  distant.  A  day 
later,  the  railway  was  no  longer  available,  it  having 
been  wrecked  at  several  points.  It  is  particularly 
remarkable  that  scores  of  stories — of  safety  at  the  very 
last  moment — have  been  repeated  to  me  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  The  last  story  told  me  was  of  an 
experienced  Christian,  who  was  apprehended,  taken 
to  the  Boxer  tribunal,  and  condemned  to  death.  The 
headmen  and  villagers  of  eight  villages  came  to  plead 
and  to  pay  for  his  life.  They  were  refused.  The 
executioner  four  times  fingered  his  neck  prior  to  striking 
the  one  fatal  blow.  The  man  had  given  up  all  hope, 
yet  for  some  reason  unknown  to  him  he  was  released. 

'  The  Viceroy  meantime  continued  sceptical  as  to  the 
bullet-resisting  faith  of  the  Boxers.  They  were  so  loud 
in  their  protestations  that  he  demanded  to  know  if  they 
were  willing  to  submit  to  the  test  of  rifle-firing.  On 
afifirming  their  willingness,  he  called  for  volunteers  to 
stand  against  the  wall  to  be  fired  at.  He  gave  instruc- 
tions to  load  with  blank  cartridge.  About  half  a  dozen 
were  bold  enough  to  step  forward.  The  order  was  given 
to  fire ;  and  as  no  one  was  hurt,  the  faith  was  declared 
triumphant.  The  impression  made  on  the  public  was 
so  serious  that  the  Viceroy  resolved  to  use  a  bullet. 
Volunteers  were  again  called  for,  but  forewarned 
several  times  that  the  shot  was  real.  One  man  went 
forward.     The  rifle  fired,  and  the  man  fell.     In  much 


Conference  of  Christians  303 

hubbub  the  Viceroy  ordered  his  head  off,  as  a  "  false  " 
Boxer  and  deceiver  of  the  people.  This  aroused  the 
greatest  commotion  among  the  insane  crowd,  who 
threatened  to  kill  the  Viceroy,  who  had  no  right  to 
dismember  the  man.  For  "  had  he  not  been  beheaded 
the  teacher  would  have  brought  him  to  life  again." 
This  proved  how  reason  had  abandoned  the  multitude. 

*  On  Wednesday,  June  29,  a  crowded  congregation 
collected  in  the  church  to  discuss  the  situation,  which 
was  as  critical  as  it  could  well  be.  The  large  church 
could  hold  about  one  thousand  people.  There  were 
about  six  hundred  men  in  the  area.  No  woman  dared 
appear,  and  their  gallery  was  empty.  They  had  heard 
that  the  Roman  Catholics  had  made  provision  for 
defence  by  firearms  in  their  cathedral.  Some  young 
men  urged  that  the  Protestants  should  follow  the 
example,  and  defy  the  Boxers  in  the  church.  The 
native  pastors,  the  elders,  deacons,  and  the  more  ex- 
perienced of  the  members,  regarded  such  a  plan  as 
useless,  even  if  it  were  right.  In  the  circumstances, 
they  considered  such  resistance  wrong.  By  that  time 
all  actual  authority  was  in  the  hands  or  at  the  dictation 
of  the  Boxers  and  of  those  officials  who  were  openly 
on  their  side.  The  soldiers,  almost  to  a  man,  were 
wholly  with  the  Boxers.  Resistance  would  therefore 
mean  resistance,  not  against  the  Boxers  alone,  but 
against  the  constituted  Chinese  authorities.  Knowing 
the  existence  and  nature  of  the  Imperial  secret  edict, 
resistance  was  to  them  tantamount  to  rebellion. 

*  After  considerable  discussion,  it  was  agreed  that 
the  Christians  must  regard  themselves  in  a  position 
similar  to  that  of  the  Twelve  when  sent  out  by  the 
Saviour.  They  were  but  a  few  weak  sheep,  among  a 
great  herd  of  furious  wolves.     Their  policy,  therefore, 


304  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

was  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove  and  the  wisdom  of  the 
serpent.  When  persecuted  here,  they  must  flee  there. 
This  was  their  only  plan.  Flight  was  their  only 
resource,  as  far  as  human  means  could  take  them.  But 
even  flight  would  be  ineffectual  while  the  whole  country 
was  everywhere  simmering  with  hostility,  if  He  whom 
they  had  come  to  know  and  to  serve  would  not  deliver 
them.  They  therefore  made  an  agreement  daily  to 
pray  for  three  things,  wherever  they  happened  to  be: 
first,  for  the  Church ;  second,  for  the  Nation ;  third, 
for  peace.  Having  so  decided,  they  engaged  in  prayer, 
and  for  the  first  time  since  they  became  a  large  con- 
gregation, they  all  with  one  accord  fell  on  their  knees. 
Their  usual  posture  is  standing.  They  would  be  guided 
each  by  his  own  wisdom  as  far  as  it  could  lead  him. 
But  their  one  hope  was  to  be  in  God,  who  could,  in 
man's  impossibility,  provide  a  means  of  escape.  And 
most  strangely  was  the  hope  attained  in  many  scores 
of  instances.     Next  day  came  the  outburst. 

*  On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  June  30,  messages 
were  sent  by  word  of  mouth  or  in  writing  to  every 
Yamen  and  to  every  restaurant  and  tea-shop,  that  in 
the  afternoon  the  "  Foreign  Tower,"  as  our  church 
was  called,  would  be  burned  down.  One  of  our 
Christians,  a  small  official,  went  that  morning  to  the 
native  pastor,  expressly  to  inform  him  that  it  was  time 
for  him  and  for  his  family  to  flee.  The  Christians  left 
in  charge  of  the  church,  chapel,  hospital,  or  dwelling- 
houses  of  ours,  remained  at  their  posts  to  the  last. 

*  A  wall  of  considerable  height  surrounded  the  church 
and  its  halls.  On  the  south  side,  this  wall  was  pierced 
by  a  gate  of  upright  bars  of  wood,  which  shut  in  the 
whole  compound  from  the  street.  In  this  gate  was  a 
small  wicket,  through  which  men  could  pass  freely.    This 


The  Compound  Destroyed         305 

was  usually  open  all  day.  Directly  north  from  this 
gate  was  the  usual  heavy,  solid  wooden  gate,  opening 
on  to  the  church,  which  stood  with  its  imposing  tower 
facing  south.  This  gate  was  the  centre  of  a  set  of 
buildings  fifty  feet  long.  To  the  right  was  a  hall  for 
small  meetings  ;  to  the  left,  the  dwelling-house  of  the 
caretaker,  with  a  room  for  country  preachers  and 
students  when  they  came  into  town.  Between  the  two 
gates,  and  to  the  left  after  entering  the  gate  of  bars,  was 
a  small  door  leading  into  the  pastor's  house,  standing  in 
a  small  compound  of  its  own. 

'  In  the  early  afternoon  several  young  men  hovered 
about  the  outer  gate.  They  soon  became  a  small  crowd, 
and  passed  in  through  the  wicket.  They  appeared  to 
be  country  bumpkins,  or  other  idle  sightseers  ;  but  all 
wore  the  cold,  impassive,  stupid-looking  expression  the 
Chinese  can  so  well  assume  when  really  excited.  The 
caretaker  asked  their  business,  but  got  no  reply.  He 
wished  them  to  go  outside  if  they  had  no  business,  and 
was  answered  by  a  stone.  He  appealed  to  the  pastor, 
who  persuaded  them  to  go  out.  The  wicket  was  closed, 
and  the  pastor  retreated  to  his  own  dwelling.  The  men 
continued  to  stand  in  front  of  the  gate.  They  became 
first  slowly,  then  rapidly,  a  crowd  which  packed  the 
street.  There  arose  the  buzz  of  a  universal  talk,  and 
then  some  man's  voice  shouted,  "  Don't  heave  bricks." 
And  the  bricks  began  to  be  heaved  against  the  pretty 
windows  of  the  hall.  "  Don't  throw  large  bricks,"  came 
another  shout,  and  large  bricks  began  to  fly,  till  not  a 
bit  of  glass  remained  in  the  fifty  feet  front.  There  arose 
the  usual  noise  of  an  excited  mob,  when  a  clear  and 
commanding  voice  shouted,  "  Make  way,  make  way ! " 
The  pastor,  looking  out,  saw  several  officers  in  uniform 
and  on  horseback,  and  believed   there  was  deliverance 


3o6  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

at  hand.     He  also   observed  a  considerable  number  of 
soldiers. 

*  The  great  crowd  crushed  through  the  barred  gate, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  there  was  the  "ping,  ping"  of 
breaking  glass  all  over  the  church.  In  a  few  minutes 
every  pane  of  glass  in  the  two  rows  of  windows,  higher 
and  lower,  were  in  atoms.  The  cry  of  "  fire "  arose, 
And  while  the  immense  crowd  were  intent  on  the  fate 
of  the  church,  the  pastor  and  his  family  clambered  over 
a  wall  separating  their  house  from  that  of  a  widow- 
neighbour,  also  a  Christian.  Some  of  the  Christians 
who  dared  not  speak  were  looking  on  in  the  utmost 
distress  for  their  beloved  church.  The  compound  was 
packed  by  a  mob  of  all  classes  and  ages.  Between 
them  and  the  crowd  stood  in  array  the  soldiers  under 
their  officers.  They  stood  to  protect  the  couple  of 
dozen  youths  who  were  rapidly  making  their  prepara- 
tions for  the  burning  of  the  church.  Seats  were  piled 
up  under  the  tower,  heaps  of  dried  millet  stalks  were 
secured,  and  kerosene  oil  poured  over  the  whole.  In  a 
few  moments  a  great  shout,  such  as  Moukden  has  rarely 
heard,  greeted  the  grand  flame  which  leaped  up  from 
base  to  crown  of  that  tower.  A  mass  of  flame,  crowned 
by  a  dense  pillar  of  smoke,  arose,  which  was  seen  and 
struck  awe  twenty  miles  away. 

'  Such  a  bonfire  Moukden  never  saw  before.  As 
by  an  electric  shock,  all  the  city  seemed  at  the  same 
moment  to  have  realised  that  the  great  deed  was  done. 
The  foreigner  was  defied  at  last.  Every  shop,  store,  and 
warehouse  was  emptied  as  by  one  consent,  master  and 
servants  all  rushing  to  see  the  sight.  All  classes  were 
there.  Ching  Chang  was  there  in  undress,  enjoying 
the  defeat  of  the  foreigner.  Many  other  officials,  also 
in  private  clothes,  were   onlookers.     The   officers  who 


The  Church  Burnt  307 

commanded  the  soldiers  guarding  the  incendiaries  were 
the  only  men  in  uniform.  Rich  and  poor  were  there, 
men  and  women  and  children.  The  high  east  wall  of 
the  city  overlooking  the  church  was  a  mass  of  human 
heads.  The  wide  space  between  this  wall  and  the 
church  was  crowded  by  tens  of  thousands  of  spectators. 
As  the  flames  mounted  high,  a  tremendous  shout  of 
triumph  ascended  from  this  immense  multitude.  The 
faces  of  all,  official  and  private,  rich  man  and  coolie, 
were  lit  up  with  a  wild  delight  at  the  sight  of  the  great 
burnt-offering.  "  There  goes  the  last  of  the  foreigner  !  " 
they  joyfully  sang  out  to  each  other.  A  very  few,  an 
insignificant  fraction,  wrung  their  hands,  were  very 
grave,  and  said,  sotto  voce,  as  if  afraid  to  be  heard,  "  This 
is  the  beginning  of  woe  to  China ! "  But  the  voice  was 
heard  by  few,  and  heeded  by  fewer,  in  the  great  mass 
of  joyous  noise  which  roared  in  the  air  overhead.  The 
whole  city  seemed  to  be  there,  and  to  be  of  one  mind. 

'  The  Boxers  were  apparently  not  bold  enough  to 
raise  the  defiant  flame.  But  after  the  deed  was  done  by 
youths  of  the  Tsai  Li  sect,  the  real  Boxers  appeared  on 
the  scene,  and  at  once  the  post  of  honour  to  which  their 
magical  power  gave  them  claim  was  conceded.  To  the 
last,  many  people  would  not  believe  that  any  men  would 
be  bold  enough  to  do  the  deed,  despite  the  inhuman 
threats  which  were  daily  and  all  day  roared  in  the 
street.  As  soon  as  the  church  was  fully  ablaze,  the 
Boxers  broke  up  into  two  firing  parties.  One  went 
east  nearly  a  mile  to  fire  our  dwelling-houses,  dis- 
pensaries, and  hospitals.  The  other  went  south  and 
west  about  the  same  distance  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
cathedral. 

'When  the  crowd  broke  up  to  follow. these  parties, 
or  to   retire   to  privacy,   the   pastor  emerged  from  his 


3o8  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

dangerous  position.  He  urged  the  widow  and  his  wife 
to  go  together  to  some  friends  in  the  country  to  the 
east.  He  went  westward  into  the  city.  Passing  through 
the  city,  he  did  not  meet  a  single  soul.  Everybody 
seemed  to  be  with  the  incendiaries. 

'  The  Boxer  party  which  had  gone  east  went  first  to  the 
splendid  hospital  and  dispensary  for  women.  There  were 
in  the  large  compound  several  halls  for  the  prosecution 
of  women's  work  by  the  four  ladies  who  were  enthusi- 
astically and  successfully  carrying  on  the  work.  They 
had  here  also  a  commodious  dwelling-house.  The 
soldiers  first  went  into  every  dwelling,  to  see  there  was 
no  human  being  within.  Giving  their  report  that  all 
the  houses  were  empty,  the  incendiaries  went  forward  to 
their  work.  The  Tsai  Li  sect  outnumbered  the  Boxers 
five  times. 

*  While  the  Boxers  and  their  allies  were  actively 
firing  the  extensive  premises  here,  soldiers  from  a 
neighbouring  barracks,  together  with  the  people  from 
every  region  around,  were  busy  as  ants  carrying  away 
every  article  they  could  seize  out  of  our  houses  prior  to 
the  application  of  the  sacred  fire.  The  Boxers  themselves 
at  this  stage  took  nothing.  Their  work — their  sole  work 
— was  "  fire."  One  after  the  other,  all  our  fine  compounds 
were  a  mass  of  blazing  splendour.  The  excellent  men's 
hospital  succeeded  that  for  the  women.  Hundreds  who 
had  been  cured  there  stood  by,  and  with  wonderful 
perversity  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  the  scene.  All  around, 
where  a  sight  could  be  had,  there  stood  masses  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  many  of  them  well-to-do  neighbours 
with  whom  we  had  believed  we  were  on  friendly  terms. 
And  men  and  women  clapped  their  hands  and  shouted 
their  delight .^until  the  numerous  houses  became  heaps 
of  smouldering  ruins.     A  few  timid  Christians  were  in 


Further  Destruction  309 

the  crowd,  dreading  to  be  made  known,  yet  fascinated 
at  the  judgment  and  filled  with  amazement  at  the 
spectacle  of  well-to-do  people,  labourers,  and  men  and 
women,  expressing  their  keen  delight  at  the  devasta- 
tion. 

*  Expressing   my   surprise  at   this   manifestation   of 
undreamed-of  hatred,  I  asked  for  some  probable  reason. 
We  had  always  been  very  careful  to  study  the  etiquette, 
the  manners,  even  the  prejudices  of  our  neighbours  and 
townspeople.     We  had  always  endeavoured  to  be  kind, 
and  do  all  in  our  power  to  remove  ill-will  and  suspicion, 
and  to  gain  their  good-will  and  respect.     The  reply  was, 
that  the  joy  at  the  dismissal  for  ever  thus  given  to  the 
foreigner  was  not  because  of  anything  we  had  actually 
done,  but  because  they  were  now  freed  from  the  dread, 
ever  hanging  over  their   heads,  that  the  foreigner  was 
here  to  take  possession  of  their  land.     Not  hatred  for 
the  past,  but  fear  for  the  future,  made  the  retreat  of  the 
foreigner  so  acceptable.     Of  course,  they  believed  that 
after   this   terrible   exhibition  no    foreigner  would  ever 
again  show  face  in  Moukden. 

'  On  the  same  day  the  premises  of  the  Bible  Society 
were  destroyed,  and  two  street  chapels  for  public  preach- 
ing to  the  general  public  were  burned,  and  every  brick 
carried  off.  Other  chapels  rented  were  gutted  of  all 
their  contents  ;  but  as  they  belonged  to  non-Christians 
they  were  not  burned.  Next  day  the  buildings  belong- 
ing to  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  west  of  the 
city  were  reduced  to  ashes.' 

Thus  the  work  of  many  weary  years  in  Moukden,  as 
well  as  in  the  other  stations  in  the  province,  was  wrecked 
almost  in  a  day,  and  it  looked  to  the  heart-broken 
workers  as  if  their  life-work  had  been  destroyed.  This, 
with  the  amazing  virulence  of  the  persecution  against 


310  The  Destruction  of  Mission  Work 

the  Christians  referred  to  elsewhere,  seemed  to  give 
countenance  to  the  belief  that  the  day  of  mission  work 
in  Manchuria  had  passed,  and  that  nothing  remained 
but  to  acquiesce  in  the  fact. 

It  is  only  necessary,  perhaps,  to  add  here  that  all  the 
missionaries  have  returned  to  their  stations  throughout 
Manchuria;  that  compensation  has  been  secured  for 
the  destruction  of  property  in  Moukden  and  elsewhere, 
and  that  the  buildings  are  in  process  of  reconstruction. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

THE  wanderings  AND  FINAL  ESCAPE  OF  MR.  AND 
MRS.  C.  H.  S.  GREEN  AND  FAMILY  AND  MISS  J.  F. 
GREGG,  JULY   TO   OCTOBER    19OO 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  and  family,  with  Miss  Gregg,  of 
the  China  Inland  Mission,  were  stationed  at  Huai-lu,  in 
the  province  of  Chih-li,  near  the  border  of  the  province 
of  Shan-si,  and  a  short  distance  from  the  entrance 
to  the  famous  Ku  Kuan  mountain  pass  which  leads 
up  to  T'ai-vuen-fu  city.  Mr.  Green  had  returned  to 
his  station'  in  March  1900,  and  from  that  time 
on  the  Boxer  troubles  in  the  province  of  Chih-li 
became  more  and  more  serious,  terminating  on  July  3 
in  serious  rioting  and  disorder.  It  was  only  after 
Mr  Green  had  spoken  to  and  quieted  the  mob  that 
threatened  their  lives  and  property,  that  they  gradually 

dispersed.  .  1        j  u 

On  July  5  the  tension  in  the  city  increased,  and,  by 
the  advice  of  friendly  natives,  they  decided  to  leave  their 
house  and  go  to  a  temple  on  a  mountain  near  the  city. 
This  they  did,  and  later  on,  under  the  guidance  of 
friendly  Chinese,  took  refuge  first  in  a  temple,  then  in 
a  cave,  and  later  on  in  a  lonely  farm  among  the  hills. 


312         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

From  this  point  we  take  up  the  narrative  in  Mr.  Green's 
words.^ 

'On  Thursday  morning,  August  lO,  we  suddenly 
found  ourselves  in  the  hands  of  a  band  of  armed  Boxers. 
Warning  was  given  that  several  men  were  approaching, 
and  we  quickly  hid  ourselves  in  the  cave,  while  the 
woman  covered  the  entrance  with  household  chattels. 
Escape  was  hopeless.  We  were  walled  in  securely  ;  the 
only  exit  was  through  the  house,  now  being  looted  and 
searched.  Looking  up  to  our  God,  whose  own  peace 
garrisoned  our  hearts,  we  waited  with  bated  breath  to 
hear  if  the  Boxers  would  discover  the  concealed  doorway. 
The  footsteps  came  nearer,  the  voices  grew  louder,  there 
was  a  banging  of  utensils,  then  a  shout  of  triumph  ! 

'With  one  voice  we  lifted  up  our  hearts,  crying, 
"  Thou  art  worthy."  We  thought  of  the  dear  children, 
whose  piteous  queries — "  Will  they  kill  us  ?  "  "  Are  they 
going  to  kill  us  now  ?  " — pierced  deeper  than  any  Boxer's 
knife,  and  we  told  them  that  very  soon  we  should  be 
with  Jesus,  and  1  was  led  to  go  out  and  plead  with  these 
men  for  the  lives  of  the  ladies  and  little  ones.  Groping 
my  way  along  the  passage,  I  stooped  and  lifted  the 
curtain  which  covered  the  hole,  and  was  just  creeping 
through  when  one  of  them  fired  at  me.  By  the  dull 
heavy  thud  on  my  head  I  knew  I  was  wounded,  and 
was  conscious  of  falling  through  the  entrance,  then, 
rising  to  my  feet,  I  seemed  to  spin  round  two  or  three 
times  in  the  room,  then  I  leaned  against  the  wall  for 
support.  As  I  did  so,  I  saw  through  the  open  door 
several  Boxers  run  across  the  courtyard,  and  heard  one 
shout,  "  All  get  outside  and  on  the  roof." 

^  A  large  part  of  the  narrative  in  this  chapter  has  been  taken,  with  the 
requisite  permission,  from  the  little  book  pulDlished  by  Messrs.  Morgan  & 
Scott,  for  the  China  Inland  Mission,  entitled  In  Deaths  Oft, 


Mr.  Green  Shot  313 

'  Then  I  made  my  way  back  into  the  cave,  and  said 
to  my  wife,  "  They  have  shot  me  in  the  head,  dearie ; 
'tis  certain  death  for  us,  only  a  matter  of  time  now.  We 
are  not  worthy,  but  He  is  worthy." 

'  Fearing  we  might  be  armed,  the  Boxers  did  not 
venture  into  the  dark,  unknown  passage,  and  now  we 
heard  them  battering  in  the  recently  walled-up  doorway 
of  the  cave.  Then  the  battering  ceased,  and  soon  the 
farmer  himself  came  through  the  passage.  He  told 
us  they  had  robbed  the  place  of  everything  movable 
worth  taking  away,  and  now  threatened  to  set  fire  to 
the  house  unless  he  could  persuade  us  to  come  out  of 
the  cave.  They  promised  not  to  kill  or  injure  us  in 
any  way,  but  would  take  us  to  the  local  magistrate,  and 
let  him  do  what  he  liked  with  us.  This  was  so  far 
removed  from  any  known  Boxer  policy,  that  we  were 
sure  it  was  only  a  ruse  of  the  farmer  to  save  his 
property. 

*  To  die  in  the  cave  or  outside  in  the  yard  was  all 
the  same  to  us,  and  if  the  man's  house  could  be  saved, 
why  should  we  prolong  this  terrible  waiting?  So  we 
sent  Mr.  Kao  to  tell  them  that  we  would  come  out  into 
the  yard,  and,  after  briefly  committing  each  other  to  our 
faithful  Creator,  made  our  way  through  to  the  kitchen. 
Not  a  soul  could  be  seen  through  the  open  doorway, 
but  as  I  stepped  on  the  threshold  I  saw  a  man  standing 
on  each  side  against  the  wall,  with  their  huge  ghastly 
swords  uplifted.  Stepping  back  for  a  moment  to  tell 
the  ladies  to  be  prepared,  I  walked  out  with  one  of  the 
children  in  my  arms,  the  ladies  following  with  the  other 
child. 

*  We  were  immediately  seized,  and  those  great  knives 
brandished  above  our  heads.  Then  the  word  was  given, 
"  Bring  them  round  to  the  back  "  ;  and  they  dragged  us 


314        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

out  of  the  court,  round  the  buildings,  and  up  an  embank- 
ment leading  on  to  the  flat  roofs  of  the  north  rooms. 
Here,  without  releasing  us  or  removing  the  swords  from 
our  necks,  they  demanded  to  know  what  things  we  had 
and  where  they  could  find  them.  Seeing  the  distress 
of  the  children,  they  told  us  to  tell  them  that  they 
would  not  kill  us.  Having  secured  all  that  was  left 
of  our  property,  they  proceeded  to  search  our  persons, 
even  to  the  tearing  off  of  my  wife's  wedding  ring,  keeper, 
and  spectacles.  The  only  thing  Miss  Gregg  had  with 
her  was  a  small  Bible,  which  she  was  led  to  slip  into 
her  pocket  as  we  left  the  cave.  It  was  examined  by 
two  or  three  of  them ;  then,  although  divided  in  opinion, 
the  leader  handed  it  back  and  said  she  might  keep  it, 
adding,  "  If  you  read  that,  you  can  get  to  heaven." 

'  Thus  our  gracious  God  made  provision  for  His 
children,  and  this  little  treasure,  positively  the  only 
thing  we  now  possessed,  beyond  the  few  clothes  we  were 
wearing,  was  an  untold  help,  blessing,  and  constant 
comfort  to  us  through  the  rest  of  our  trials.  "  I  have 
esteemed  the  words  of  His  mouth  more  than  my 
necessary  food."  Once,  on  a  later  occasion,  it  was  taken 
from  us,  but  He  prevented  its  destruction,  and  after 
six  days'  wanderings  it  was  again  restored. 

'  Much  to  our  surprise,  having  secured  all  the  booty, 
they  led  us  off  to  the  city  as  promised,  and  actually 
hired  two  men  to  carry  the  children,  seeing  how  weak 
I  was  from  loss  of  blood,  and  that  our  progress  was  too 
slow.  Leaving  the  road  leading  to  the  nearest  city  gate, 
they  took  us  along  by  the  north  wall  towards  the  east 
suburb.  When  I  overheard  them  say  they  were  going 
to  our  own  home,  my  heart  failed  me,  as  I  felt  sure  it 
must  be  their  intention  to  kill  us  there ;  once  in  their 
hands,  no  foreigner   had  ever  been  known  to  escape. 


^They  are  going  to  Kill  Us*       315 

I  knew,  too,  from  the  dialect,  that  these  men  came  from 
the  Pao-ting-fu  district,  and  shuddered  as  I  imagined 
they  were  probably  part  of  the  company  who  killed 
the  missionaries  there,  including  Mr.  W.  Cooper,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bagnall  and  their  little  girl.  There  was  real 
sympathy  on  the  part  of  many  in  the  enormous  crowds 
lining  the  streets  as  we  passed  along,  and  among  them 
was  the  tear-stained  face  of  our  own  serving-women, 
to  whom  Miss  Gregg  shouted  as  we  passed,  "We  are 
not  afraid  ;  God  is  with  us." 

'  On  arriving  at  the  familiar  doorway,  the  crowd  was 
held  back,  and  not  allowed  to  enter,  while  we  were  taken 
up  into  the  dining-room,  and  the  door  was  immediately 
fastened.  The  uncertainty  and  suspense  were  terrible, 
but  when  they  proceeded  to  examine  and  wipe  their 
swords,  I  said  to  the  ladies,  "  They  are  going  to  kill  us 
now."  Then  word  was  given  that  all  should  repair  to 
the  back  for  worship  (this  plays  an  important  part  in 
the  Boxer  propaganda),  and  we  were  left  alone  in  the 
room,  with  the  doors  securely  fastened.  Seeing  an 
empty  bedstead  in  the  inner  room,  we  passed  through, 
and  were  very  thankful  to  sit  down  after  our  three-mile 
walk  in  the  hot  sun.  After  a  while  the  door  opened 
and  a  man  entered,  the  sight  of  whom  filled  my  heart 
with  hope ;  he  was  one  of  the  local  policemen.  After 
some  commonplace  talk,  he  managed  to  whisper  in  my 
ear,  "  Don't  fear,  there  are  several  of  us  here  on  the  alert, 
and  the  mandarin  will  be  here  directly."  Could  it  be 
that  they  were  really  handing  us  over  to  the  official,  as 
they  said  ? 

*  When  the  official  arrived,  we  were  formally  handed 
over  to  him  by  the  spokesman  of  the  Boxer  party,  now 
dressed  up  with  fan  and  gown,  and  using  language 
which  proved  him  to  be  an  educated  man.     Without 


3i6         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

much  delay  we  were  escorted  outside,  and  a  new  pro- 
cession formed.  We  were  taken  to  the  Yamen  in  the 
middle  of  the  city.  There  the  mandarin  blamed  me  for 
not  having  sought  him  earlier,  that  he  might  have  sent 
us  away  before  this  trial  came  upon  us !  When  I  tried 
to  remind  him  that  I  had  sought  his  protection,  he 
immediately  talked  about  something  else.  As  this  was 
before  his  staff,  and  he  had  his  "  face  "  to  save,  and  as  I 
knew  how  helpless  he  was,  I  did  not  press  the  matter. 

'  He  said  he  would  send  us  to  Cheng-ting-fu  on 
the  morrow,  hoping  the  bishop  there  would  receive  us, 
failing  which  we  should  be  escorted  from  city  to  city  up 
to  Pao-ting-fu,  and  the  Governor  of  the  province  would 
find  some  means  to  enable  us  to  leave  the  country  and 
return  to  our  own  land.  He  then  gave  orders  that  a 
lodging  should  be  found  for  us  within  the  Yamen 
precincts  for  safety,  and  we  were  accordingly  led  off  to 
a  small  temple,  professedly  the  only  available  place  they 
had.  The  relief  of  finding  ourselves  really  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Boxers,  and  the  deep  thankfulness  in  our 
hearts  to  God  for  this  second  deliverance  from  death, 
coupled  with  the  hope  of  soon  seeing  our  friends  in 
Cheng-ting-fu,  enabled  us  to  look  more  lightly  on  the 
hardships  of  our  surroundings. 

'  On  examining  my  wounds,  we  found  that  it  was  a 
full  charge  of  No.  i  shot  that  I  had  received,  and,  owing 
to  my  peculiar  stooping  position  at  the  time,  my  head, 
face,  shoulder,  arms,  and  back  had  all  taken  their  share. 
As  blood,  hair,  and  clothing  were  now  firmly  clotted,  we 
decided  to  leave  it  so  until  we  reached  Cheng-ting-fu, 
where  I  could  get  proper  surgical  dressing  and  treat- 
ment. I  suffered  terribly  that  night,  which  we  spent  on 
some  reed  mats  on  the  damp  floor  of  the  temple.  The 
dear  children  slept,  but  the  pain,  stiffness,  and  dread  of 


'God  is  With  Them'  317 

the  twenty-mile  jolt  in  a  cart  the  next  day,  were  more 
than  enough  to  keep  me  from  sleep.  How  I  longed 
for  a  soft  pillow  !  but  the  only  one  I  had  was  a  couple  of 
bricks.  Every  now  and  then  the  blood  all  seemed  to 
flow  to  my  head,  and  I  was  obliged  to  get  my  wife  and 
Miss  Gregg  to  help  me  up,  and  walk  me  up  and  down 
the  place  for  some  relief. 

'  We  were  out  very  soon  after  daylight,  and  had  not 
been  long  in  the  yard  when  our  helper,  Mrs.  Liu,  arrived. 
She  had  tried  the  night  before,  but  could  not  get  to  us, 
and  had  been  waiting  outside  the  Yamen  since  long 
before  dawn,  hoping  for  an  opportunity  to  see  us.  She 
had  been  told  by  neighbours  that  we  had  been  executed 
in  the  prison,  and  that  we  died  singing  hymns.  Her 
reply  was,  "  I  do  not  fear  ;  our  God  is  with  them."  The 
interview  was  most  touching :  she  took  up  the  two 
children  in  her  arms  with  a  loving  tenderness  rarely 
seen  in  this  people ;  and  when  leaving  she  embraced 
and  kissed  my  wife  and  Miss  Gregg,  regardless  of  all 
onlookers.  Her  calm,  strong  faith  in  God,  and  loving, 
helpful  words,  with  the  recollection  of  others  in  our  little 
flock,  enabled  us  to  share  St.  Paul's  joy  when  glorying 
in  his  Corinthian  converts.  "  I  am  filled  with  comfort,  I 
am  exceeding  joyful  in  all  our  tribulation."  Returning 
home,  she  sent  us  a  thick,  wadded  Chinese  coverlet  to 
spread  in  our  cart,  with  some  fruit  and  cakes  for  the 
children. 

'  By  about  7  a.m.  we  left  the  city ;  the  country  was 
looking  beautiful,  especially  to  us  after  our  month's 
imprisonment.  On  arriving  at  the  east  gate  of  the  city 
of  Cheng-ting-fu,  we  saw  a  large  crowd  gathered,  and 
several  Yamen  people  about.  The  cart  was  stopped, 
and  the  official  papers  concerning  us  handed  over  by 
our  escort.     Then  followed  a  long  wait  while  the  papers 


3i8        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

were  taken  to  the  Yamen.  It  was  early  afternoon,  and 
the  fierce  sun,  with  the  great  crowd  swarming  almost  on 
the  cart,  made  the  heat  unbearable ;  but  there  we  sat, 
bathed  in  perspiration,  travel-stained  and  dishevelled, 
gazed  upon  by  a  continually  moving  stream  of  curious 
people  for  two  hours.  It  was  during  this  trying  time  of 
waiting,  when  we  expected  every  minute  to  be  taken 
into  the  city  and  to  the  mission-house  where  we  should 
see  our  friends,  that  the  Lord  gave  to  my  wife  this  text, 
"  Delivering  thee  from  the  people  unto  whom  now  I  send 
thee  "  ;  and  previously  in  the  cave,  as  we  sat  moment- 
arily expecting  death,  to  Miss  Gregg  was  given  the 
promise,  "  A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten 
thousand  at  thy  right  hand,  but  it  shall  not  come  nigh 
thee."  These  two  remarkable  texts,  seemingly  so  in- 
appropriate at  the  time,  were  used  of  God  through  all 
our  later  experiences  to  keep  us  in  the  assurance  that  it 
was  His  purpose  to  save  us,  and  over  and  over  again  He 
led  us  to  remind  Him  of  His  own  word. 

'  Finally,  a  man  from  the  Yamen  came  to  say  we  had 
better  hurry  up  and  order  some  food,  as  another  cart 
was  already  waiting  in  the  yard  to  take  us  on  the  next 
stage  of  our  journey  to  Pao-ting-fu.  In  vain  I  pleaded 
that  we  had  hoped  to  go  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Mission  ; 
that  it  was  certain  death  to  send  us  to  Pao-ting-fu,  where 
the  foreigners  had  already  been  killed,  and  that  many 
places  on  the  way  were  full  of  Boxers ;  also  that  it  was 
inhuman  to  send  a  wounded  man  such  as  I  was,  with 
two  ladies  and  the  children,  without  a  rest,  to  travel  far 
into  the  night.  He  declared  that  I  could  rest  as  long 
as  I  liked  at  the  next  stage,  which  was  only  a  village, 
but  go  on  we  must.  The  officials  were  afraid  of  the 
Boxers  who  accompanied  us,  they  too  being  forbidden 
to  enter  the  city.     We  ordered  food  and  tried  to  take 


A  Trying  Journey  319 

some,  knowing  there  would  be  no  getting  any  more 
during  the  next  stage.  The  mandarin  at  Huai-lu  had 
given  us  five  hundred  cash  for  travelHng  expenses,  and 
now  they  brought  me  one  thousand  from  the  official 
here  for  the  same  purpose.  Even  while  getting  food 
they  came  again  and  again  to  hasten  us. 

'  The  children  slept  most  of  the  way,  and  Fuchingi, 
the  next  posting  station,  fifteen  miles  distant,  was 
reached  about  midnight.  Instead  of  being  allowed  the 
rest  we  were  promised,  we  were  transferred  to  another 
cart  at  once,  and  proceeded  on  our  journey  to  Sinloh 
Hsien,  the  next  stage  of  twenty-three  miles,  which  we 
reached  at  daylight  the  following  morning.  Here  the 
Boxers  brought  us  some  millet  soup  and  a  few  bread 
cakes,  and  we  begged  a  drink  of  hot  water  from  some 
of  the  Yamen  men.  After  sitting  in  the  cart  for  about 
an  hour  and  a  half,  we  were  once  more  transferred  to 
a  fresh  cart  and  started  for  Tingchoo,  the  next  twenty- 
mile  stage.  This  was  the  place  where  the  postman  had 
been  murdered,  and  all  around  the  neighbourhood  the 
Boxers  had  pillaged  and  burned  the  houses  of  the 
Roman  Catholics,  killing  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
they  could  find.  It  seemed  so  improbable  that  we 
should  be  allowed  to  pass  through  the  place  alive,  that 
our  hearts  were  kept  lifted  up  to  God  that  we  might  be 
prepared  for  His  will,  whatever  it  might  be ;  our  desire 
was  that  He  might  be  glorified  in  us,  whether  it  were 
by  life  or  by  death. 

'  The  cart  was  stopped  in  the  street  of  the  south 
suburb  of  the  city  while  some  of  the  Boxers  paid  a 
visit  to  a  local  branch  of  the  fraternity,  and  of  course 
a  great  crowd  gathered.  As  we  passed  along,  the  streets 
were  lined  on  either  side,  the  great  crowd  following  in 
the  rear.     Arriving  at  the  Yamen  about  noon,  we  were 


320        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

very  glad  of  the  quiet  afforded  by  the  little  prison  room 
into  which  we  were  taken,  and  we  also  received  some 
kindness  from  the  keeper.  The  keeper  made  us  tea,  and 
lent  us  his  boy  to  go  and  buy  a  couple  of  cheap  fans 
and  a  small  piece  of  Chinese  calico  for  a  handkerchief, 
as  we  only  had  one  left  between  us. 

'About  3  p.m.  word  came  that  the  cart  was  ready, 
and  once  more  a  start  was  made.  Wang  Tu  Hsien, 
our  next  stop,  was  twenty-three  miles  distant,  and  the 
road  was  in  a  very  bad  condition.  Heavy  rain  had 
fallen,  and  we  were  ploughing  through  mud  and  water 
up  to  the  axle  of  the  cart  for  a  great  part  of  the  way. 
It  must  have  been  near  midnight  when  we  arrived  at 
Wang  Tu.  Only  those  who  have  travelled  by  cart  in 
North  China  will  understand  what  this  journey  must 
have  been  to  us,  practically  without  a  rest,  day  and 
night,  for  forty  hours.  God  most  certainly  gave  the 
strength  and  grace,  or  no  ladies  could  have  taken  such 
a  journey,  to  say  nothing  of  the  children,  and  I  wounded 
as  I  was.  A  shake-down  was  made  for  us  on  the  floor 
of  the  prison  room  :  first  a  spread  of  straw,  then  a  reed 
mat,  over  which  we  spread  our  coverlet.  The  official's 
headman  and  others  with  him  were  moved  to  pity  to 
see  little  John,  as  soon  as  the  bed  was  ready,  get  down 
from  my  knee,  crawl  along  on  to  it,  stretch  himself  out 
full  length,  and  immediately  fall  asleep. 

*  On  rising  we  were  able  to  have  a  wash,  the  first 
since  we  left  Hual-lu.  Then  the  headman  came  along 
to  say  that  a  train  of  one  carriage  and  engine  was 
running  daily  the  thirty  miles  to  Pao-ting-fu,  our  last 
stage,  and  that  arrangements  had  been  made  for  us 
to  go  by  it,  as  the  roads  were  in  such  a  bad  condition. 
He  also  spoke  encouragingly  to  us,  and  told  us  that 
the   Emperor  had  issued  orders  for  the   protection  of 


C.    J.    SUBEK. 
H.    ANDERSON 


THE    MONGOLIAN    MARTYRS. 

D.    \V-    STENBURG. 
H.    LUND. 


N.    J.    FRIDSTROM. 
C.    ANDERSON. 


iSee  f.  So. 


Again  at  Pao-ting-fu  321 

missionaries.  About  9  a.m.  we  left  the  Yamen  for 
the  station.  Alas !  there  was  a  hitch  somewhere,  for 
as  we  came  in  sight  the  little  train  moved  off.  No 
one  knew  why.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  until  at  last, 
about  5  p.m.  word  was  given  that  we  must  go  on  by 
cart.  This  meant  travelling  all  night,  and  thirty  miles 
more  of  that  awful  jolting  over  bad  roads.  Again  His 
grace  was  sought  and  given.  The  next  thing  to  look 
forward  to  was  a  rest  and  some  food  while  the  animals 
were  fed  at  a  place  ten  miles  on  the  way.  Here  we 
had  a  nice  supper  and  the  children  got  a  little  sleep. 
Then,  leaving  about  midnight,  we  arrived  at  Pao-ting-fu, 
August  13,  soon  after  daybreak,  the  city  gates  being 
still  closed.  As  we  waited  there  for  the  gate  to  be 
opened,  it  seemed  to  us  that  we  understood  as  never 
before  something  of  what  our  Lord  must  have  felt  as 
He  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  Very  soon  we  were  able  to 
enter,  and  were  taken  straight  to  the  district  Yamen. 
Alighting  from  the  cart,  almost  before  I  was  aware  of 
what  was  happening,  we  were  separated,  the  ladies  and 
children  being  taken  to  the  women's  lock-up,  and  I  was 
marched  off  to  the  men's  common  prison.  I  found 
myself  in  a  filthy  yard  with  some  twenty  prisoners  in 
various  stages  of  dirt  and  wretchedness.  Spreading  my 
coverlet  on  the  damp  ground,  I  lay  down  and  cried,  not 
for  the  ignominy  heaped  upon  me,  but  the  thought  of 
being  separated  from  my  dear  wife  and  children  at  this 
time  was  unbearable.  Perhaps  I  had  lain  there  about 
half  an  hour,  when  I  heard  a  call  for  the  "  foreign  man." 
Some  one  had  been  sent  to  fetch  me  back  to  the  cart, 
which  was  still  standing  where  we  left  it.  I  was  rejoiced 
to  find  the  ladies  and  children  already  there,  and  looking 
refreshed  for  the  hair-combing  they  had  been  able  to 
get,  through  the  kindness  of  the  female  prison  keeper. 
21 


32  2         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

*  I  soon  learned  that  the  district  magistrate  had 
refused  to  receive  either  us  or  the  official  papers  con- 
cerning us,  and  intended  to  send  us  back  at  once  to 
the  place  we  came  from.  A  fast-increasing  and  excited 
crowd  was  surging  about  the  cart,  and  a  number  of  the 
city  Boxers  appeared  with  their  guns  and  great  swords, 
and  took  up  their  position  all  around  us.  Not  one  of 
the  Boxers  or  official  escort  who  had  brought  us  were 
to  be  seen.  The  heat  became  intense,  and  we  sat  like 
that  for  at  least  two  hours.  On  first  rejoining  the  cart, 
I  had  heard  the  spokesman  of  our  Boxer  party  say, 
"  There  will  be  trouble  here  very  shortly."  To  that  man, 
under  God,  we  undoubtedly  owe  our  lives  on  this  the 
third  wonderful  deliverance  from  death.  He  had  gone 
to  the  mandarin  and  pleaded  for  us,  showing  him  that 
we  should  certainly  be  killed  as  soon  as  we  got  out 
of  the  city,  even  if  we  were  allowed  to  get  that  far. 
Ultimately  the  official  had  relented,  and  gave  orders 
that  we  were  to  be  received  into  the  Yamen,  and  he 
would  see  what  could  be  done  with  us.  So  it  came  to 
pass  that,  with  some  considerable  shouting  and  hustling, 
a  way  was  made  through  the  crowd  for  several  under- 
lings, who  again  took  us  off  to  our  respective  prisons. 

*I  had  only  been  there  five  minutes  when  I  was 
again  called  out,  and  taken  to  have  an  interview  with 
the  mandarin  himself.  He  spoke  kindly,  professed 
sympathy  with  us  in  our  distress,  declared  that  the 
Western  Powers,  including  my  own  honourable  nation, 
were  to  blame  for  the  present  state  of  things,  having 
"  rebelled  "  against  the  Government  and  taken  Tien-tsin, 
but  since  we  had  come  to  Pao-ting-fu,  they  would 
devise  some  means  for  protecting  us.  I  asked  as  a 
favour  that  we  might  all  be  together,  no  matter  where 
it  was,  so  he  gave  orders  that  a  room  in  the  women's 


Help  from  a  Mandarin  323 

lock-up  should  be  cleared  for  us,  and  I  was  taken  off 
to  join  the  ladies  and  children  there.  The  joy  of  finding 
ourselves  together  again,  and  the  reaction  after  the 
tension,  were  too  much  for  my  now  weakened  body, 
and  I  could  only  lie  down  and  cry. 

*The  next  day,  Tuesday,  August  14,  about  10  a.m., 
one  of  the  Yamen  men  came  to  say  that  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  us  to  be  taken  to  Tien-tsin  by  boat, 
and  that  we  were  to  start  that  day !  Such  a  lot  of 
running  to  and  fro  from  one  official  to  another  had 
been  going  on  all  night  about  us,  and  everybody  had 
been  "  troubling  their  hearts  "  and  planning  for  us,  with 
the  result  above  mentioned. 

'  The  mandarin  sent  me  one  thousand  cash  for 
travelling  expenses ;  his  son,  who  came  to  see  us, 
moved  to  pity,  sent  another  one  thousand.  We  were 
advised  to  procure  what  we  needed  for  the  journey 
before  starting,  so  that  no  risk  should  be  run  by  stopping 
to  buy  on  the  way.  By  travelling  day  and  night  we 
should  probably  get  there  in  forty-eight  hours,  with  the 
strong  current  in  our  favour. 

'At  3  p.m.,  two  carts  arrived  to  take  us  to  the 
riverside,  and  we  were  officially  sent  off  by  the 
mandarin's  headman  and  several  secretaries.  On 
arriving  in  my  own  country,  I  was  told  to  be  sure  and 
tell  our  Emperor  that  the  Governor  of  the  province  at 
some  considerable  trouble  had  sent  us  home  !  Twelve 
runners  with  gowns  and  dress  hats  went  before  the  carts, 
while  several  Boxers  with  drawn  swords  also  acted  as 
escort.  Arriving  at  the  riverside,  we  were  soon  in  the 
boat.  Eight  of  the  Boxers  who  brought  us  from  Huai-lu 
then  came  on  board,  with  four  or  five  of  the  local  men, 
and  in  a  little  while  we  were  making  good  progress  down 
stream. 


324        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

*  It  seemed  too  good  to  be  true  that  we  should  so 
soon  be  in  Tien-tsin  and  our  troubles  at  an  end.  Yet 
our  God  had  worked  so  many  miracles  on  our  behalf 
that  we  knew  He  was  able  to  do  this  thing  also.  Yet 
I  am  afraid  there  was  some  misgiving  in  our  hearts  when 
we  saw  that  there  was  no  official  representative  in  our 
escort.  Three  miles  out,  the  local  men  left  the  boat, 
and  we  went  on  far  into  the  night,  anchoring  in  mid- 
stream for  about  two  hours  to  give  the  boatmen  a  rest, 
then  on  again  long  before  daylight. 

*Soon  after  sunrise  we  were  passing  a  walled  city, 
which  I  remembered  was  thirty  miles  from  Pao-ting-fu. 
A  little  later,  while  in  the  act  of  eating  our  humble 
breakfast  of  dough  cakes  and  apples,  the  boat  stopped 
and  was  moored  to  the  bank.  Saying  something  which 
I  did  not  quite  understand,  the  spokesman  and  the 
leader  went  ashore  together.  My  wife  cried,  "  Oh,  Charlie, 
something  is  wrong ;  do  ask  the  other  men  what  it  is." 
I  spoke  to  one  of  them,  but  he  only  wrung  his  hands 
and  said,  "  This  is  terrible  !  terrible  ! " 

*  Then  the  two  men  returned,  and  the  leader  said,  "It 
is  all  a  lie  about  your  being  taken  to  Tien-tsin ;  it  is 
impossible  to  get  there.  The  river  is  held  by  Boxers  at 
several  points  on  the  way  down,  and  it  would  be  certain 
death  for  ourselves  as  well  as  for  you  to  attempt  to  get 
through.  Our  orders  from  the  Governor  were  to  bring 
you  so  far  down  the  river,  then  kill  you,  and  put  you  out 
of  the  way."  As  he  spoke  he  pointed  to  his  long  ugly 
knife,  which  I  had  seen  him  sharpening  since  we  left 
Pao-ting-fu.  Then  he  went  on  to  say,  "  We  don't  intend 
to  commit  such  a  sin  ;  we  have  no  quarrel  with  you,  but 
you  must  leave  the  boat  now,  and  make  the  best  of  it 
for  yourselves."  They  advised  us  to  go  just  over  the 
bank,  which  was  a  public  pathway,  and  hide  in  the  tall 


Deserted  by  the  Guard  325 

reeds  until  evening,  then  go  west  to  the  city  we  had 
just  passed,  and  see  what  the  mandarin  there  would  do 
for  us. 

'  Protest  was  useless  ;  we  were  simply  stunned,  and  as 
if  in  a  dream.  Gathering  together  our  few  belongings, 
the  bedding,  bundle  of  food,  and  the  cloth  containing 
our  cash,  part  of  which  we  left  as  too  heavy  to  carry, 
we  took  the  children  in  our  arms  and  went  ashore. 
Getting  quickly  over  the  embankment,  we  were  soon  out 
of  sight  among  the  reeds  and  thick  undergrowth,  without 
having  been  seen  by  any  one.  Making  sure  of  being 
completely  hidden  from  any  one  who  might  pass  along, 
we  spread  out  our  bedding  and  sat  down  to  think  and 
pray.  Both  were  difficult  for  a  time,  until  we  had  some- 
what got  over  the  shock  of  this  sudden  turn  in  our 
affairs. 

*  Slowly  we  began  to  realise  that  for  the  fourth  time 
our  God  had  delivered  us  from  a  cruel  death,  touching 
even  the  hearts  of  these  Boxers  for  us,  and  especially,  I 
believe,  for  the  two  dear  little  children.  All  the  way 
from  Huai-lu  we  had  maintained  a  quiet,  respectful 
demeanour  towards  them,  and  they  played  with  the 
children,  often  buying  them  fruit  cakes.  Many  times 
during  the  days  of  our  hiding  in  the  temple  and  cave, 
and  at  the  farmhouse,  we  had  said  how  much  easier  it 
would  be  without  the  children ;  but  in  our  later  experi- 
ences the  Lord  had  undoubtedly  used  the  children  to 
move  the  hearts  of  our  enemies,  giving  us  favour  in  their 
eyes ;  thus  reproving  us  for  murmuring  about  them. 

'  But  for  the  little  band  of  refugees  hiding  in  the 
reeds  what  a  day  that  was !  Most  of  it  spent  in  prayer. 
At  every  sound  of  footsteps  on  the  bank  we  held  our 
breath.  Asking  my  wife  what  the  Lord  was  saying  to 
her,  she  replied,  "  I  still  have  my  text,  '  Delivering  thee 


326        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

from  the  people  .  .  .  unto  whom  now  I  send  thee.' " 
Miss  Gregg's  answer  to  the  same  question  was,  "  I  have 
been  waiting  all  day  for  a  little  bird  to  bring  us  a  letter  ! " 
We  laughed  at  the  time,  but  you  will  hear  more  of  this 
"  little  bird  "  later  on.  What  should  we  do  ?  Knowing 
that  we  were  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Boxer  country,  our 
position  seemed  so  hopeless. 

*  We  were  terribly  bitten  by  mosquitoes,  and  all  day 
long  the  children  were  pleading  for  drink.  We  too 
were  suffering  much  in  the  same  way ;  but,  apart  from 
the  risk  of  going  to  the  river  to  fetch  water,  I  had  nothing 
to  bring  it  in. 

'When  it  was  quite  dark  and  everything  seemed 
quiet,  we  all  went  to  the  riverside  and  quenched  our 
thirst  from  a  straw-hat  drinking-cup.  And  now  by  the 
repeated  lightning  and  gathering  black  clouds  we  knew 
a  storm  was  approaching.  Then  came  the  fierce  wind 
bending  the  reeds  low  to  the  ground,  and  very  soon  the 
rain  began  to  fall.  Covering  the  children  as  much  as 
possible  with  the  bedding  and  our  straw  hats,  we  sat 
through  those  miserable  two  hours ;  all  were  very  soon 
wet  to  the  skin  and  chilled  to  the  bone.  O  Lord,  was 
there  ever  a  more  helpless,  hopeless,  desolate  band  of 
Thy  little  ones  ?  We  made  our  way  to  the  bank,  where 
we  could  warm  ourselves  by  walking  up  and  down.  We 
were  all  very  lightly  clad,  having  only  the  few  thin 
garments  we  were  wearing  when  surprised  by  the  Boxers 
at  the  farm.  Some  course  of  action  had  to  be  now 
decided  on.  To  the  east  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  was 
a  riverside  hamlet,  and  half  a  mile  to  the  west  was  the 
city.  Which  way  should  we  go?  Perhaps  influenced 
by  the  advice  of  the  Boxers,  certainly  guided  by  God, 
we  decided  to  go  west  and  make  our  way  towards  the 
city.     About  half-way  there  we  came  to  a  cottage,  and, 


Seized  by  Boxers  327 

seeing  a  light  in  the  window.  I  said,  "  Let  us  ask  them  to 
help  us."  Making  our  way  towards  the  back,  we  saw  a 
youth  crossing  the  yard  carrying  a  light.  Telling  him 
who  and  what  we  were,  we  asked  him  if  he  could  help 
us  to  get  a  boat.  He  was  distressed  at  our  pitiable 
condition,  and  talked  of  the  wickedness  and  cruelty  of 
the  Boxers  ;  then  he  said  he  would  go  off  and  see  if  he 
could  persuade  a  friend  of  his  to  take  us  in  his  boat. 

'  Could  it  be  that  the  Lord  had  guided  us  to  the  very 
one  who  was  willing  to  help  ?  We  knew  that  He  was 
able  for  this  also,  and  had  He  not  reminded  us  of  the 
promise,  "  For  six  troubles  I  will  be  with  thee,  yea,  in 
seven  I  will  deliver  thee  "  ?  So,  encouraging  each  other 
in  Him,  we  took  shelter  under  a  tree,  as  the  rain  had 
begun  again,  and  waited  the  man's  return.  He  was  not 
long  away ;  his  friend  was  sleeping  in  the  city  that 
night,  and  the  gates  were  closed,  but  he  had  called  up 
another  man  who  had  a  boat,  and  who  would  be  along 
directly.  Inviting  us  into  the  house,  he  got  us  water 
and  offered  us  melons  to  eat.  We  were  glad  to  put 
down  the  tired  children,  who  soon  fell  asleep  on  the 
brick  bed,  while  we  ate  one  of  the  dry  cakes  we  had 
with  us. 

*  Suddenly  we  were  startled  by  an  unearthly  sound 
in  the  yard  outside ;  it  seemed  a  combination  of  a  hiss 
and  a  growl.  With  a  slash  of  a  drawn  sword,  the  reed 
curtain  at  the  door  was  dashed  down,  and  we  were 
again  face  to  face  with  a  crowd  of  fierce  Boxers. 
"  Betrayed  !  "  was  the  first  thought  that  flashed  through 
one's  mind.  The  next  moment  all  was  confusion.  I 
was  seized  by  the  hair,  dragged  to  the  ground,  and  was 
conscious  of  blow  after  blow  on  different  parts  of  my 
body,  then  of  being  trampled  on  by  many  feet,  as  others 
rushed  over  me  to  seize  my  wife  and  Miss  Gregg.     I 


328         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

remember  a  pang  as  I  heard  the  heart-rending  shrieks 
of  the  children,  and  then  a  calm  filled  my  soul,  and  I 
committed  my  spirit  to  God.  Comparing  notes  since, 
we  have  each  been  able  to  testify  that  this  was  the 
calmest  moment  in  our  lives,  so  soon  to  be  given  up  to 
Him  ;  we  never  doubted  for  a  moment  that  we  should 
immediately  be  killed.  With  joy  my  wife  accepted  this 
fulfilment  of  the  promised  deliverance,  that  it  should  be 
into  the  Father's  presence. 

*  We  were  dragged  outside,  and  thrown  in  the  mud, 
and  bound  hand  and  foot,  the  Boxers  using  their  feet  as 
much  as  their  hands  to  get  our  arms  and  legs  into  the 
position  they  wanted,  though  we  were  quite  passive. 
Then  I  suddenly  missed  the  cries  of  the  children,  and 
was  glad  that  the  lambs  had  "  gone  before  "  and  were 
spared  more  of  these  terrible  sights.  Miss  Gregg  was 
hauled  by  the  hair  into  a  kneeling  position,  and  her 
head  pressed  down  on  to  a  stone  table  in  the  yard,  used 
for  burning  incense,  and  one  cried,  "  Who  will  strike  ?  " 
But  other  voices  overruling  cried,  "  No,  take  them  all  to 
headquarters  first."  As  we  lay  there  bound  in  the  mud, 
one  and  another  struck  us  heavily  again  and  again  with 
the  backs  of  swords  or  the  handles  of  spears.  Miss 
Gregg  now  lay  close  beside  me,  and  as  blow  after  blow 
fell  upon  her  no  sound  escaped  her  lips,  only  a  long, 
deep  sigh. 

*  I  could  not  see  or  hear  my  dear  wife,  who  had  been 
dragged  some  distance  away.  Word  was  now  given  to 
carry  us  off;  the  handles  of  two  spears  were  put  through 
my  left  arm,  two  men  taking  the  ends  on  their  shoulders, 
and  I  was  taken  ofif  hanging  between  them  by  one  arm, 
with  hands  tied  to  my  feet  behind  me. 

*  It  was  only  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  temple 
building  they  used    as   headquarters.      I    should   have 


Seized  by  Boxers  329 

fainted  with  the  excruciating  pain,  had  it  been  much 
farther.  On  entering,  my  face  struck  heavily  against  a 
large  earthenware  water  tank,  and  the  next  minute  I 
was  thrown  down  in  the  courtyard.  Hearing  the  dear 
children  cry,  I  knew  that  they  had  been  brought  off  at 
once,  and  not  killed,  as  I  supposed.  My  wife  and  Miss 
Gregg  were  carried  in  a  similar  way,  the  former  sus- 
pended by  both  hands  and  feet,  the  latter  by  one  arm 
and  one  leg.  Little  John  was  tied  hands  and  feet  and 
carried,  while  Vera  with  hands  tied  behind  was  made  to 
walk,  having  her  feet  bound  when  they  got  there. 

*  Now  all  had  arrived,  and  there  was  much  rejoicing 
and  mutual  congratulations  that  these  "  devils  "  had  been 
captured.  Presently  a  tall  young  man  arrived,  who 
by  his  authoritative  voice  I  soon  knew  was  recognised 
as  a  leader.  He  came  and  put  a  brick  under  my  head 
for  a  pillow,  and  spoke  encouragingly  to  me,  telling  me 
if  I  had  anything  to  say,  not  to  be  afraid  to  say  it.  I 
requested  that  if  they  intended  to  kill  us  they  would  do 
it  quickly,  and  not  let  us  go  through  any  unnecessary 
suffering.  Being  questioned  as  to  who  we  were,  I 
explained  where  we  were  from  and  how  we  came  to  be 
there,  but  they  would  not  believe  a  word  I  said. 

'  I  suppose  it  must  have  been  a  strange,  unlikely 
story  to  them,  as  they  were  convinced  we  came  from  a 
neighbouring  Catholic  Mission  against  whom  they  had 
a  special  hate,  two  of  their  townsfolk  having  recently 
been  killed  in  an  attack  on  the  Romanists  there.  Later 
on,  they  lifted  me  up  and  gave  me  a  stool  to  sit  on,  that 
I  might  be  better  able  to  talk  to  them.  In  my  new 
position  I  could  see  the  ladies,  and  at  my  request  my 
wife's  head  was  moved  out  of  a  pool  of  dirty  water,  and 
Miss  Gregg's  hands  were  loosened  and  tied  in  front 
instead  of  at  the  back,  a  favour  they  would  not  grant 


330        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

for  myself  until  next  day,  though  I  suffered  intensely 
because  of  the  shot  wound  in  my  left  arm. 

*  They  could  not  pacify  the  children,  who  had  been 
carried  into  the  house,  so  at  last  they  let  them  come  out 
to  their  mother,  and  one  after  another  they  tottered  with 
bare  feet,  their  shoes  having  been  taken  from  them,  and, 
sitting  down  on  the  wet  ground,  buried  their  heads  on 
their  mother  and  sobbed  themselves  quiet.  Just  before 
daylight,  we  were  carried  through  into  the  main  temple 
building,  where  some  reeds  and  a  mat  had  been  spread 
on  the  floor,  upon  which  we  were  laid.  A  guard  of  five 
or  six  being  left  in  charge,  the  remainder  dispersed, 
understanding  that  our  case  was  to  be  decided  in  the 
morning. 

'  Thus  for  the  fifth  time  we  find  ourselves  delivered 
from  death,  for  although  we  could  not  say  how  our  case 
would  go  eventually,  the  Lord  had  stayed  their  hand 
and  prevented  our  being  killed  on  the  spot  when 
captured.  As  we  lay  there,  wet,  muddy,  bound,  and 
aching,  we  appreciated  the  brief  time  of  quiet  that 
followed,  which  was  spent  in  prayer  and  in  encouraging 
each  other  in  the  Lord. 

'  Shortly  after  sunrise,  the  people  began  to  arrive, 
and  for  the  next  three  or  four  days  there  was  one 
constant  stream  of  curious  people  crowding  into  the 
temple  to  look  at  us,  and  I  assure  you  that  the  being 
"  looked  at "  was  not  the  easiest  of  the  many  things  He 
has  enabled  us  to  endure  "  for  His  sake."  Soon  some  of 
the  leaders  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  for  over  three 
hours  I  sat  there,  bound  and  propped  up  against  the 
leg  of  the  incense  table,  to  undergo  a  severe  cross- 
examination.  Of  course  I  told  the  truth,  and  nothing 
but  the  truth,  and  at  last  I  think  they  were  obliged  to 
own  themselves  baffled,  as  one  confessed  that  I  had  a 


Reply  from  Pao-ting-fu  331 

mouth  full  of  Huai-lu  dialect,  another  that  he  had  seen 
a  boat  the  previous  morning  answering  the  description 
given,  while  a  third  declared  I  could  not  be  a  Romanist 
priest,  because  I  had  two  wives  and  children !  Our 
cords  were  now  removed  and  food  was  given  to  us,  and 
we  were  told  that  they  had  decided  to  send  two  of  their 
number  to  Pao-ting-fu,  to  obtain  of  the  officials  there 
confirmation  of  what  I  had  said.  One  fact  alone  I  had 
withheld  from  them,  and  that  was  the  Governor's  order 
to  the  Boxers  to  kill  us.  I  simply  told  them  that  they 
had  declared  it  was  impossible  to  take  us  to  Tien-tsin, 
as  promised  by  the  Governor,  and  had  made  us  leave 
the  boat.  Feeling  sure  they  would  learn  the  truth  at 
Pao-ting-fu,  there  seemed  very  little  hope  of  our  lives 
when  the  deputation  returned. 

'  On  the  Saturday  night  I  was  brought  round  to  their 
meeting-room,  to  hear  the  result  of  the  deputation's 
visit  to  Pao-ting-fu,  and  found  myself  in  a  room  full 
of  respectable  tradesmen  and  scholars.  These  were  the 
civil  members  of  the  company  of  Boxers  whose  military 
people  had  captured  us.  I  learned  that  the  society  had 
been  formed  here  in  self-defence,  as  only  in  this  way 
could  they  be  safe  from  the  depredations  of  the  numer- 
ous societies  in  the  district ;  and  that  their  city  had  no 
resident  magistrate,  but  was  governed  by  an  adjacent 
larger  city,  with  the  help  of  the  neighbouring  tradesmen 
and  gentry. 

'  The  Governor  of  Pao-ting-fu  had  been  very  angry 
when  he  heard  we  had  been  let  go  alive,  and  that  these 
people  did  not  kill  us  as  soon  as  they  found  us,  and 
he  had  now  given  to  them  the  same  orders  that  he  gave 
the  others.  The  civil  part  of  the  society  we  were  now 
held  by  being  much  stronger  than  the  military,  they 
had   overruled   any  other  wish  there  may  have  been, 


S3^         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

and  determined  to  protect  us,  and  send  us  down  to 
Tien-tsin  when  the  way  was  clear.  They  had  won  over 
the  rougher  element  by  the  promise  that,  as  long  as  we 
were  there,  and  they  had  to  guard  and  protect  us,  the 
whole  company,  about  forty,  should  be  provided  with 
food,  and  towards  this  expense  all  the  tradesmen  sub- 
scribed liberally. 

*  Truly  it  was  "  a  wonder  to  many  "  that  we  had  not 
been  killed  again  and  again,  as  we  should  have  been 
had  we  fallen  into  the  hands  of  any  other  society  in 
that  district.  Only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  where  we 
left  the  boat,  a  native  Roman  Catholic  had  been  killed 
the  very  day  when  we  were  hiding  in  the  reeds,  and  we 
should  certainly  never  have  passed  a  place  five  miles 
farther  down  the  river.  And  here  we  were,  a  little 
helpless  company,  allowed  to  escape  by  those  who  had 
the  highest  authority  for  killing  us,  while  a  whole  city 
of  gentry  and  tradesmen  were  turned  to  be  our  pro- 
tectors and  friends !  Yes  !  Those  who  know  not  our 
God  may  well  marvel  at  all  He  wrought  on  our  behalf. 
No  doubt  their  decision  was  largely  influenced  by  their 
superstition ;  the  fact  that  we  had  been  spared  by  one 
band  of  Boxers  made  them  afraid  to  injure  us.  One 
and  all  declared  that  it  was  because  I  had  accumulated 
so  much  merit  that  Heaven  itself  had  intervened  on 
our  behalf,  and  prevented  man's  will  from  being  done 
upon  us. 

'  About  a  week  after  our  arrival  we  were  able  to  have 
a  wash,  and  a  day  or  two  later  I  was  allowed  to  have 
a  shave.  Miss  Gregg,  having  gained  permission  to  go 
down  to  the  river  with  an  armed  escort,  contrived  from 
time  to  time  to  wash  out  some  of  our  garments,  but  of 
course,  having  no  change,  we  were  obliged  to  be  minus 
that  garment  until  it  was  dry  again.     The  vermin  were 


A  Word  of  Cheer  333 

a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  us  ;  in  fact,  it  was  im- 
possible to  keep  ourselves  free  from  them.  The  daily 
and  nightly  discomforts,  mentioned  above,  continued 
throughout  our  stay,  with  the  addition  of  cold  in  the 
night  during  the  last  week  or  so. 

*  One  day,  early  in  the  afternoon,  when  there  were 
few  people  about,  I  was  standing  over  the  ladies  and 
children  as  they  slept,  keeping  away  the  flies  with  a 
fan,   and   looking    rather    gloomily,   I   am    afraid,   out 
through  the  open  trellis-work  of  the  door.     Our  guard 
were  all  having  a  nap,  and  one  solitary  sight-seer  was 
peering  through  at  the  foreigners.     Presently  a  little 
crumpled  tuft  of  paper  was  dropped  through  on  to  the 
floor.     I  saw  him  throw  it,  but  thinking  it  more  an  act 
of  contempt  than  anything  else,  I  took  no  notice  of  it. 
The  man  had  moved  ofl*  to  the  outer  door,  then  stopped, 
and  seeing  I  had  not  picked  it  up  he  came  back,  motion- 
ing to  the  floor  where  it  lay,  and  again  walked  off.     My 
curiosity  was  now  aroused,  and  I  took  it  up,  opened  it, 
and  found  within,  in  a  good  bold  hand, "  Don't  be  afraid 
for  Chinese  robbers,  nearly  all  have  been  killed  by  both 
Chinese  and   foreign   soldiers.      Peking  and   Tien-tsin 
belong  to  Europeans.     Now  I  will  go  to  Tien-tsm  and 
tell  your  armies  to  protect  you.     You  may  tear  it  into 
pieces  when  you  have  seen." 

*  Looking  up,  I  motioned  my  thanks,  and  my  un- 
known friend  left  hurriedly.  The  idiom  was  certainly 
that  of  an  English-speaking  Chinaman.  I  was  so  excited 
that  I  woke  the  ladies  to  show  them.  Miss  Gregg  at 
once  claimed  it  as  the  "little  bird"  and  letter  she  had 
looked  for  that  day  in  the  reeds.  We  were  all  elated, 
and  for  a  time  our  hardships  all  seemed  much  easier 
to  bear  for  this  little  gleam  of  hope  which  the  Lord  had 
sent  us.    If  this  friend  really  went  to  Tien-tsin  and  made 


334        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

known  our  position  to  the  British  Consul,  we  felt  sure 
something  would  be  done  for  us ;  nor  were  we  wrong, 
as  the  sequel  will  show. 

*0n  Monday,  September  3,  a  large  company  of 
Boxers  visited  the  place,  and  we  noticed  that  their 
attitude  towards  us  was  more  unfriendly  than  usual. 
One  thrust  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  into  my  wife's  face, 
and  said  something  to  the  effect  that  they  were  "  going 
to  begin  business  to-day."  The  place  was  packed  with 
them  for  more  than  two  hours,  insomuch  that  they  were 
almost  treading  upon  us.  The  children  were  especially 
frightened,  and  I  was  kept  in  constant  conversation  the 
whole  time.  If  any  of  our  own  guard  were  about,  they 
usually  politely  asked  them  to  move  on  when  they  had 
looked  at  us.  We  were  greatly  relieved  when  all  had 
left  again ;  but  the  following  morning  early  we  were 
conscious  that  something  unusual  was  abroad.  We  had 
just  been  reading  together  Psalm  cxlvi.,  and  had  laid  hold 
of  the  seventh  verse,  "  The  Lord  looseth  the  prisoners." 

*  We  learned  that  the  mandarin  from  the  neighbour- 
ing town  had  come,  but  we  could  not  gather  if  his  visit 
was  on  our  account.  Soon  after  our  morning  meal, 
one  of  the  headmen  came  to  tell  us  that  they  were  in 
great  trouble ;  the  large  party  of  Boxers  mentioned  had 
threatened  to  come  in  a  body  to-day  and  carry  us  off. 
The  whole  town  and  neighbourhood  were  in  an  uproar 
about  us,  and  some  of  the  leading  gentry  were  endea- 
vouring to  "  talk  over  "  the  men  who  had  come  to  make 
the  threat.  The  second  day  we  could  hear  a  great  deal 
of  shouting  and  much  excitement  going  on  in  the  street, 
and  at  night,  when  all  was  quiet,  we  learned  what  a 
difficult  matter  it  had  been  to  keep  off  the  attacking 
party  of  Boxers.  The  civil  department  held  a  monster 
meeting  in  the  city,  which  was  attended  by  some  five 


Comfort  in  Tribulation  335 

hundred  tradesmen  and  gentry,  and  by  good  words, 
apologies,  and  promises,  they  had  succeeded  in  prevent- 
ing an  attack  on  us.  So  busy  had  they  all  been,  that 
not  a  soul  had  been  near  us  since  early  morning,  and 
they  forgot  to  bring  us  our  afternoon  meal  till  very  late. 
When  the  secretary  with  one  or  two  others  came  at 
last,  we  had  just  passed  nearer  the  point  of  despair  than 
we  had  reached  all  through  our  trials.  Sick,  ill,  tried, 
cold,  hungry,  and  uncertain,  the  black  pall  of  despair 
was  settling  down  on  my  soul.  As  evening  came  on, 
with  tears  I  implored  my  wife  and  Miss  Gregg  to  pray 
for  me,  when  suddenly  there  was  quiet  and  music  in 
my  heart.  I  listened  to  catch  the  tune,  then  my  lips 
tremblingly  took  up  the  strain,  and  sang — 

"Praise  the  Saviour,  ye  who  know  Him. 
Who  can  tell  how  much  we  owe  Him  ? 
Gladly  let  us  render  to  Him 
All  we  have  and  are." 

'The  ladies  soon  joined,  and  as  the  warm  comfort 
of  the  Lord's  own  peace  flowed  again  in  our  hearts, 
we  did  not  try  to  keep  back  the  tears  that  would 
come. 

*  There  was  quite  a  consternation  when  they  suddenly 
remembered  that,  amidst  all  their  troubles,  they  had 
forgotten  us.  Very  soon  three  or  four  different  kinds 
of  cakes  and  food  were  brought  along,  and  while  we 
ate  we  learned  something  of  what  had  happened. 
Later,  I  was  invited  across  to  the  meeting-room,  and 
was  told  that  we  were  to  leave  that  evening  by  boat 
for  Pao-ting-fu.  With  many  assurances  they  tried  to 
set  our  hearts  at  rest,  but  to  us  it  seemed  like  going 
to  certain  death  again,  until  one  gentleman,  taking 
advantage  of  a  moment  we  had  alone,  told  me  that 
the     English     Consul,    having     heard    that    we    were 


33^         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

prisoners  at  Sinan,  had  sent  to  Pao-ting-fu,  demanding 
protection  and  safe  escort  to  Tien-tsin,  and  that  a 
Special  Commissioner  had  been  sent  from  Pao-ting-fu 
to  fetch  us.  He  had  come  with  the  mandarin  the 
previous  day,  but  they,  being  just  in  the  midst  of 
their  trouble,  had  refused  to  hand  us  over,  having  told 
the  Boxers  that  we  had  left  the  previous  day ;  but 
they  promised  to  escort  us  to  Aucheo,  the  neighbouring 
governing  city,  and  hand  us  over  to  the  Commissioner 
there. 

'  So  the  door  of  our  prison  was  opened  and  prayer 
answered,  but  not  to  go  east  to  Tien-tsin,  as  we  hoped, 
but  to  return  to  Pao-ting-fu,  as  His  perfect  will  saw 
good.  We  knew  that,  owing  to  the  Boxer  movement 
being  so  strong  and  widespread,  the  way  to  Tien-tsin 
was  practically  impassable  for  a  foreigner,  and  so  had 
the  Lord  led  us  to  trust  Him  that  we  w^ent  forward, 
knowing  all  would  be  well.  "  When  He  putteth  forth 
His  own  sheep.  He  goeth  before  them." 

*  About  midnight  on  Wednesday,  September  5,  we 
walked  down  to  the  riverside,  where  two  boats  were 
waiting.  Ourselves  and  six  or  seven  of  the  escort 
embarked  on  one,  some  of  the  gentry  and  the  rest  of 
the  escort  on  the  other.  I  almost  carried  my  dear 
wife,  who  was  too  weak  to  walk.  Food  had  been  made 
for  us  before  starting,  and  now  we  were  sent  off  with 
many  expressions  of  goodwill  from  the  little  throng 
who  had  come  down  with  us. 

*  It  was  only  six  miles  up  stream  to  Aucheo,  which 
we  expected  to  reach  easily  by  daybreak,  but  a  heavy 
thunderstorm  came  on  when  about  a  mile  out,  and 
after  anchoring  till  the  rain  ceased,  they  elected  to 
return  to  Sinan,  get  some  refreshments,  and  start 
again    at     daylight.       Consequently,    we     arrived     on 


Pao-ting-fu  once  more  337 

September  6,  about  8  a.m.,  having  met  two  boats  with 
soldiers,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  look  for  us,  as  we 
had  not  turned  up  as  early  as  had  been  promised. 

*  At  Pao-ting-fu  the  Commissioner  now  came  on 
board  again,  and  gave  us  five  hundred  cash  and  more 
cakes.  He  asked  how  the  Consul  at  Tien-tsin  knew 
we  were  at  Sinan,  and  a  few  other  questions,  then, 
promising  we  should  not  be  separated,  told  the  escort 
to  take  us  down  to  the  district  Yamen.  We  quite 
expected  a  cart  would  be  provided.  As  it  was  nearly 
a  mile  away,  I  explained  to  the  soldiers  that  I  was 
afraid  my  wife  could  not  walk  so  far,  and  they  told 
me  to  carry  her  on  my  back,  and  they  would  help  with 
the  children  and  our  few  belongings.  Although  she 
was  now  exceedingly  light,  I  was  correspondingly  weak, 
so  she  attempted  the  walk,  and  with  Miss  Gregg's  help, 
and  by  going  very  slowly,  was  enabled  to  get  there; 
the  Lord  giving  the  strength. 

'  What  a  changed  aspect  the  city  now  wore  !  One 
could  hardly  recognise  it  as  the  same  place.  Soldiers 
were  in  evidence  everywhere ;  many  of  the  shops  were 
closed  ;  the  streets,  usually  so  thronged,  seemed  for- 
saken. We  were  told  by  our  escort  on  the  way  up  that 
there  had  been  a  panic  when  it  was  rumoured  that 
foreign  troops  were  coming  to  the  city.  Many  of  the 
tradesmen  and  people  had  fled,  a  lot  of  the  disbanded 
soldiers  had  run  wild  and  pillaged  right  and  left,  but 
the  officials  had  nipped  this  in  the  bud,  and  executed 
a  few  dozen  of  them.  Peace  was  now  restored, 
and  there  were  no  Boxers  left  in  the  city.  The  last 
statement  we  afterwards  found  was  very  far  from 
true. 

'After  arriving  at  the  Yamen,  there  was  about  an 
hour's  delay  while  our  papers  were  examined  and  the 

22 


338         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

officials  decided  what  should  be  done  with  us.  At 
last  the  underlings  came,  and  would  have  taken  me 
off  to  the  men's  prison  again  alone,  but,  refusing  to 
budge,  I  said  that  they  could  take  me  to  the  mandarin, 
and  I  would  explain  to  him.  At  this  they  went  away, 
returning  shortly  to  say  that  we  were  all  to  go  to  the 
women's  lock-up.  What  a  palace  it  seemed  after  our 
quarters  of  the  past  three  weeks  !  How  thankfully  we 
settled  down,  and  for  the  time  being  desired  nothing 
better  !  Very  soon  we  were  visited  by  one  and  another 
of  the  Yamen  people,  who  were  profuse  in  their  con- 
gratulations upon  our  escape. 

'  Nor  was  it  long  before  a  marked  change  in  their 
treatment  of  us  was  apparent.  We  rose  now  in  the 
scale  rapidly ;  extra  bedding  was  brought  for  us  (the 
cheapest  available),  and  I  was  allowed  to  have  a  shave, 
the  mandarin's  own  barber  being  sent  for  the  purpose. 
New  paper  was  put  in  the  window  to  keep  out  the 
cold  at  night,  while  again  and  again  the  women  in 
charge  were  enjoined  to  look  well  after  us  and  take 
care  that  we  lacked  nothing. 

'The  next  day,  Saturday,  September  8,  was  the 
15  th  of  the  Chinese  8th  moon,  a  great  feast-day.  The 
mandarin  sent  us  a  meal  from  his  own  kitchen,  with 
a  present  of  moon-cakes  and  foreign  sweets  for  the 
children.  We  were  told  that  we  should  have  rooms  in 
the  mandarin's  private  quarters,  but  that,  as  there  was  no 
room  there  to  spare,  a  suite  of  rooms  was  being  prepared 
for  us  in  another  Yamen,  and  would  be  ready  on  the 
morrow.  An  official  was  appointed  by  the  provincial 
judge,  acting  as  Governor,  to  give  us  daily  attention 
and  provide  us  with  everything  we  needed.  He  visited 
us  on  Saturday  to  learn  what  we  wanted,  then  came 
on  Sunday  with  a  new  rig-out  for  each  of  us.     What 


Improvement  in  Treatment        339 

a  relief  to  lay  aside  our  dirty  things,  and  put  on  some 
clean,  sweet,  although  cheap,  clothing  once  more ! 

'  On  Sunday  our  meals  were  sent  again  from  the 
mandarin's  kitchen,  and  about  8  p.m.,  two  carts,  with 
four  soldiers  and  others,  came  to  take  us  to  the  new 
quarters.  Thus  by  rapid  strides  we  were  transformed 
from  outcasts  and  prisoners  into  honoured  guests. 
This  change  in  treatment  was  no  doubt  occasioned  by 
the  receipt  of  a  telegram  from  H.  E.  Li  Hung  Chang, 
who  was  waited  upon  in  Shanghai  on  September  7  by  the 
Hon.  John  Goodnow  and  Dr.  John  R.  Hykes,  Consul- 
General  and  Vice-Consul,  U.S.A.,  at  the  request  of 
Rev.  J.  W.  Stevenson,  China  Inland  Mission. 

'  On  arriving  at  our  new  home,  we  found  two  fairly 
large  rooms,  simply  furnished,  and  moderately  clean  (for 
Chinese) ;  a  cook,  with  orders  to  serve  us  up  anything 
we  might  like  to  ask  for,  and  the  four  soldiers  to  guard 
us  day  and  night  and  attend  to  us  just  as  we  chose  to 
use  them.  Here,  too,  we  found  two  more  new  coverlets, 
and  an  additional  suit  for  each  one  of  us  of  rather 
warmer  clothing. 

'  Mr.  Cheng,  the  official  appointed  to  look  after  us, 
visited  us  constantly  to  see  to  our  comfort  and  enquire 
after  our  needs.  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  the 
courtyard  and  small  garden,  where  we  could  daily  get 
fresh  air  and  sunshine.  Little  John  picked  up  per- 
ceptibly from  the  very  first  day  here.  My  dear  wife, 
too,  although  slowly  and  with  repeated  painful  relapses, 
made  progress  to  recovery,  and  in  a  fortnight  was  enabled 
to  help  and  relieve  Miss  Gregg,  who  for  five  weeks  had 
been  mother  to  my  bairns. 

'During  the  first  ten  days,  all  of  us,  notably  Miss 
Gregg  and  myself,  suffered  acutely  from  painful  and 
severe  diarrhoea,  while  my  old  complaint  of  neuralgia 


340        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

continued  to  trouble  me  nightly.  But,  as  time  went  on, 
good  diet,  clean  surroundings,  fresh  air  and  rest,  com- 
bined to  put  us  all  in  a  better  state  of  health.  We  were 
able  to  buy  "  condensed  milk  "  in  the  city,  and  this  was 
an  untold  boon  to  all,  especially  the  children.  What  a 
solemn  thing  it  was  to  be  living  in  that  city  where  so 
many  of  God's  people  had  laid  down  their  lives  for  Him  ! 
and  as  we  heard  from  the  three  Christians  who  were 
permitted  to  visit  us  the  details  and  horrors  of  those 
days,  was  it  strange  that  our  hearts  turned  sick  within 
us  ? 

'  About  a  week  after  our  promotion  I  was  given  per- 
mission to  telegraph  to  Shanghai  news  of  our  safety,  at 
the  provincial  judge's  expense,  although  I  was  some- 
what restricted  in  what  I  should  say.  In  six  days  a 
reply  came,  "  Hallelujah !  Have  wired  news  home. 
Wait  instructions  from  Tien-tsin  or  Peking."  This,  our 
first  communication  from  the  outside  world  for  four 
months,  was  pinned  upon  the  wall,  that  we  might  con- 
tinually refresh  ourselves  by  reading  it. 

*  Towards  the  end  of  our  third  week  here,  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  Consul  at  Tien-tsin,  with  a  note  added  by 
Mr.  Lowrie.  This,  too,  filled  our  hearts  with  rejoicing, 
as  we  learned  all  that  was  being  done  for  our  safety  by 
the  authorities  in  Tien-tsin,  and  also  by  our  praying 
friends  there. 

'  A  very  real  break  comes  into  our  diary  at  this  point 
through  my  dear  husband's  serious  illness.  He  was 
unable  to  write,  and  so  I  was  led  to  continue  our 
testimony  to  the  Lord's  goodness  and  mercy.  The  long 
waiting  time  of  between  five  and  six  weeks  at  Pao-ting- 
fu  was  a  very  real  testing  time.  The  Chinese  officials 
were  always  promising  to  send  us  to  the  coast,  and  just 


Death  of  Little  Vera  34 1 

at  the  last  moment  some  excuse  was  forthcoming.    They 
evidently   had   some   definite   purpose   in    keeping   us. 
What  was  it?     The  most  probable  reason  was  to  make 
use  of  us  in  the  event  of  foreign  troops  coming  into  the  dis- 
trict, and  we  were  confronted  by  the  fear  that  in  the  end 
they  might  make  a  final  thrust  at  the  enemy  by  killing  us. 
One  day,  as  Miss  Gregg  and  I  were  talking  about  these 
things  and  feeling  cast  down,  Vera,  who   was  playing 
beside  us  and  apparently  taking  no  notice,  looked  up  and 
said,  so  quickly  and  with  such  confidence,  "  Auntie,  the 
Lordlooseth  the  prisoners"  (our  Sinan  text);  then  she 
again  resumed  her  play.     As  we  accepted  her  rebuke, 
our    faith   was    strengthened,  and    we   could    not   but 
acknowledge  that  "  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  suck- 
lings the  Lord  has  perfected  praise." 

'  How  little  we  realised  then  the  path  the  Lord  had 
for  us  to  tread  !     For  weeks  our  little  darling  had  been 
suffering  from   dysenteric    diarrhoea,  sometimes   better, 
sometimes  worse,  and  yet  through  it  all  so  full  of  life 
that  it  helped  to  quiet  our  fears  in  regard  to  her,  and  we 
kept  hoping  that  the  change  to  the  coast  would  com- 
pletely restore  her.     We  were  as  careful  as  circumstances 
permitted  in  reference  to  her  diet,  and  it  was  good  to  see 
how  she  helped  us  by  her  self-denial.     Whilst  we  were 
still  praising  God  for   my  gracious   recovery,  we  were 
brought  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  in  her  case  the 
diarrhoea  was  giving  place  to  dysentery.     All  thought 
and  attention  were   now  centred  in  our  darling.     The 
dysentery  passed  away,  and  we  were  filled  with  hope. 
On  October  8,  she  seemed  much  better,  even  asking  me 
to   make   her   some   toys,  though   the  desire  for  them 
passed  away  almost  as  soon  as  expressed.     In  the  after- 
noon  she   began  to  complain  of  pain  again,  and  that 
night  she  grew  rapidly  worse,  though  the  dysentery  did 


342         On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

not  return.  The  next  day  we  were  shocked  to  see  the 
change  in  our  darling,  but  we  did  not  realise  that  the 
end  was  so  near.  On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  as  I  had 
been  up  most  part  of  the  previous  night,  my  husband 
kept  the  first  watch.  About  3  a.m.,  I  rose  to  take 
my  turn,  and  as  I  looked  at  my  darling  I  saw  that  a 
change  had  come  over  her.  She  did  not  regain  conscious- 
ness again,  although  she  asked  her  father  to  lift  her  up 
and  give  her  medicine;  and  on  October  10,  after  nearly 
a  fortnight's  illness,  she  fell  asleep.  In  the  solemn  hush 
of  that  hour,  God  drew  very  near,  and  bound  up  our 
broken  hearts,  as  with  faltering  lips  we  said,  "  He  is 
worthy."  We  did  not  sorrow  as  those  who  have  no 
hope,  for  we  know  that  those  who  sleep  in  Jesus  God 
will  bring  with  Him,  and  that  it  is  only  "  Till  He  come." 
His  purposes  through  her  had  been  fulfilled.  She  was 
undoubtedly  used  of  God  to  preserve  our  lives.  Her 
bright  loving  ways  touched  the  hearts  of  the  people  and 
led  them  to  spare  us.  Yes,  her  work  was  done,  and  in  a 
very  real  sense  her  life  was  laid  down  for  Jesus'  sake  and 
for  China. 

'The  next  day  the  Chinese  officials  brought  us  a 
coffin,  and  our  darling's  body  was  taken  to  a  temple 
near  by,  and  remained  there  until  further  arrangements 
could  be  made.  This  seemed  to  be  the  final  strain  for 
my  dear  husband.  He  had  caught  cold  a  night  or  two 
before,  when  watching  our  darling,  and  now  there  was 
an  utter  collapse.  He  complained  of  much  pain  ;  to 
swallow  solid  food  was  an  impossibility.  Each  day 
found  him  decidedly  weaker,  and  again  we  resorted 
to  prayer.  We  heard  rumours  of  French  troops  ap- 
proaching, which  filled  us  with  hope  and  thankfulness, 
but  we  could  not  understand  why  the  officials  left  us  so 
severely  alone  during  these  few  days. 


Arrival  of  Relief  343 

*  After  many  false  alarms,  the  first  detachment 
reached  Pao-ting-fu  on  October  13.  This  we  heard 
from  the  soldiers  who  kept  guard ;  no  one  else  came 
near.  How  was  it  ?  On  Sunday  morning  there  was  a 
sensation  and  a  rush.  The  provincial  magistrate  was 
announced.  Now,  we  thought,  all  is  well.  But  he 
simply  told  us  that  the  French  were  there  on  railway 
business,  and  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  us ! 
Monday  passed  quietly  away,  my  husband  still  getting 
worse.  On  Tuesday,  October  16,  we  decided  to  write 
to  the  French  colonel,  and  ask  the  favour  of  medical 
help. 

'Just  as  a  soldier  was  on  the  point  of  starting,  our 
eyes  were  gladdened  by  the  appearance  of  a  captain 
in  the  doorway.  The  colonel  had  just  heard  from  a 
French  and  English  speaking  Chinaman,  whom  the 
captain  brought  with  him,  that  we  were  in  the  city,  and 
at  once  sent  us  an  invitation  to  go  into  the  French 
camp,  an  invitation  which  we  were  not  slow  to  accept. 
An  ambulance  was  brought  for  Mr.  Green,  and  under 
a  strong  escort  of  French  soldiers  we  left  the  city.  We 
received  much  kindness  from  the  French  colonel  and 
all  the  officers  during  our  stay  there,  the  only  dis- 
advantage being  our  inability  to  speak  French.  Our 
conversations  had  to  be  carried  on  through  the  young 
Chinaman  mentioned  above,  and  this  made  a  real 
difficulty  in  reference  to  Mr.  Green.  We  learned  from 
the  French  that  when  the  officials  were  questioned  as  to 
why  they  had  not  mentioned  the  fact  of  our  being  in 
the  city,  they  replied  that  they  rather  wanted  to  send  us 
to  the  coast,  but  that  we  did  not  wish  to  go ! 

*  The  British  troops  from  Peking  were  now  drawing 
near,  and  almost  as  soon  as  they  arrived,  October  19, 
General  Gaselee  and  several  officers  came   to  see   us. 


344        On  the  Brink  of  the  Grave 

The  general  was  most  kind  to  us,  and  offered  to  send 
the  doctor  round  at  once  to  see  what  could  be  done  for 
my  dear  husband.  Imagine  what  the  sight  of  English 
faces  and  the  sound  of  English  voices  meant  after  all 
these  months  !  They  reminded  us  that  we  were  now  in 
the  midst  of  friends.  The  time  of  our  deliverance  had 
come,  and  with  grateful  adoration,  too  deep  for  words, 
we  praised  God. 

*  On  Saturday,  October  20,  we  were  handed  over  to 
General  Gaselee,  and  taken  to  the  Field  Hospital,  where 
Mr.  Green  had  the  best  medical  help,  so  valuable  in  his 
critical  condition.  My  husband  was  found  to  be  suffer- 
ing from  hill  diarrhoea  and  a  complete  nervous  break- 
down. General  Gaselee  gave  instructions  that  no  expense 
was  to  be  spared.  Major  Thompson  was  most  kind 
and  attentive,  as  were  many  others.  On  Monday, 
arrangements  were  made  for  us  to  leave  for  Tien-tsin  on 
the  following  day,  by  boat.  We  brought  dear  Vera's 
coffin  with  us.  Lieutenant  Bingham  and  Dr.  Major 
Thompson  were  in  charge,  and  there  was  a  strong 
escort.  Mr.  Green  got  on  very  nicely  until  Friday 
afternoon,  when  his  head  began  to  trouble  him.  That 
night  he  was  almost  unmanageable,  and  he  had  not 
regained  consciousness  when  we  reached  Tien-tsin  on 
Saturday,  October  27. 

*  The  doctor  at  the  Gordon  Hall,  where  we  were  first 
taken,  told  us  that  he  was  dangerously  ill,  and  after 
further  consultation  it  was  decided  that  it  was  best  to 
have  him  removed  to  our  China  Inland  Mission  Home. 
Here  the  difficulty  of  getting  a  trained  nurse  had  to  be 
faced,  but  again  the  Lord  provided  in  His  own  wonder- 
ful way.  Dr.  Stevenson,  a  lady  of  the  American 
Methodist  Mission,  offered  her  services,  which  were 
most  gratefully  accepted. 


'Alive  from  the  Dead'  345 

'  Sunday  was  a  day  of  much  prayer  and  anxiety  for 
my  loved  one,  but  on  Monday  morning  he  regained 
consciousness.  Looking  at  that  time  into  the  future,  we 
realised  that,  as  it  had  been,  so  it  must  be  step  by  step 
with  God.  We  are  as  those  who  are  "  alive  from  the 
dead."  How  solemn !  How  heart-searching !  We 
cannot  understand  why  we  have  been  spared  when  so 
many  of  God's  dear  children  have  been  called  to  lay 
down  their  lives  for  Him.  We  can  only  say,  "  It  is  the 
Lord."  A  more  helpless  little  band  there  could  not  have 
been,  so  that  the  glory  is  all  His  own.  We  have  often 
turned  to  Acts  xii.,  where  we  read  that  "  Herod  the 
king  put  forth  his  hands  to  afflict  certain  of  the  Church, 
and  he  killed  James  the  brother  of  John  with  the 
sword  ;  and  when  he  saw  that  it  pleased  the  Jews,  he 
proceeded  to  seize  Peter  also,  .  .  .  intending  after  Easter 
to  bring  him  forth  to  the  people."  But  God  had  another 
purpose  for  Peter,  and  so  we  read,  "  Now  I  know  of 
a  truth  that  the  Lord  has  sent  forth  His  angel,  and 
delivered  me  out  of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all 
the  expectation  of  the  people  of  the  Jews."  "  His  ways 
are  not  our  ways  ;  but  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the 
earth,  so  are  His  ways  higher  than  our  ways,"  and  our 
hearts  are  still.  May  "  the  God  of  all  comfort "  comfort 
the  many  sorrowing  hearts  of  those  who  have  lost  dear 
ones,  and  cause  them  to  see  "the  bright  light  in  the 
clouds."     He  was  and  is  glorified  in  our  lives. 

*  Thursday^  November  i. — Our  little  darling  was  laid 
to  rest  in  the  English  cemetery  here.  How  different  it 
might  have  been  and  has  been  with  others !  Many  of 
God's  dear  children  gathered  with  us  to  commit  her 
body  to  the  ground,  "  Until  the  day  dawn  and  the 
shadows  flee  away." ' 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

The  Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

One  day  a  Catholic  priest  was  endeavouring  to 
persuade  a  native  to  leave  the  Protestant  Church  and 
come  over  to  the  Catholic  fold.  He  knew  the  earnest- 
ness of  his  man,  and  so  suited  his  argument  to  him. 
'  The  Protestants,'  said  the  priest,  '  have  never  had 
men  who  were  brave  enough  to  die  for  their  faith, 
whereas  the  Catholics  have  a  long  roll  of  martyrs. 
That  is  proof  enough  that  we  are  the  true  Church.' 
The  statement  was,  of  course,  ridiculously  untrue. 
The  Protestant  Church  in  China  even  then  counted  a 
goodly  array  of  martyrs.  True,  the  Catholic  Church 
could  point  to  more,  because  she  had  been  centuries  in 
China,  and  during  that  time  suffered  frequent  pro- 
scription at  the  hands  of  the  Chinese  Government. 
But  the  Boxer  massacres  produced  more  Protestant 
martyrs  than  all  the  previous  decades  of  the  Protestant 
Church's  history  in  China.  The  exact  numbers  will 
probably  never  be  known.  But  we  do  know  that  in 
every  corner  whither  the  Boxers  came  many  suffered 
unspeakable  tortures,  and  many  preferred  death  to 
apostasy.  The  record  of  their  sufferings  is  on  high. 
The  human  record  presents  but  noble  examples,  from 
which  we  may  learn  more. 

Chinese    Christians    had   apparently    been    singled 

346 


Character  of  Chinese  Christians     347 

out  among  the  converts  of  all  lands  for  especial  sus- 
picion as  to  the  sincerity  of  their  motives.  Every 
critic,  and  indeed  every  Western  Christian,  knew  the 
opprobrious  epithet,  '  Rice  Christian.'  Many  thought 
that  this  was  a  term  coined  by  the  Chinese  in  derision 
of  the  converts.  In  reality  it  is  but  a  smart  term 
invented  by  some  scoffer,  who  disbelieved  in  the 
sincerity  of  all  Christians,  white  as  well  as  yellow.  A 
missionary  was  once  asked,  '  What  sort  of  Christians 
do  the  Chinese  make?'  He  replied,  'All  sorts,  just 
as  at  home.'  None  knew  better  than  the  missionaries 
that  there  were  tares  among  the  wheat.  At  the  same 
time,  the  ever-present  persecutions  which  were  sure 
to  be  the  lot  of  all  who  joined  the  new  faith,  acted  as 
a  deterrent  to  those  whose  motives  were  sordid,  and 
the  Chinese  were  ready  to  suffer  for  their  faith.  The 
shortest  experience  showed  that  they  could,  on  occasion, 
rise  to  surprising  heights  of  devotion  to  their  Lord. 
Chinese  missionaries  were  therefore  not  surprised  that 
many  died  martyrs'  deaths,  putting  aside  offers  of 
life.  Their  heathen  persecutors,  like  the  Roman  officials 
of  old,  seemed,  in  many  instances,  anxious  to  make 
the  'path  to  denial  as  easy  as  possible.'  'Only  a 
knock  of  your  head  here '  (before  the  idol) ;  '  only  a 
little  incense!  No  matter  whether  you  mean  it  or 
not ! '  cried  the  executioners.  But  even  feeble  women 
and  little  children  waxed  strong  to  resist  these  specious 
pleadings,  until  their  tormentors  smote  them  as  if 
under  a  painful  necessity. 

Sections  of  this  book  describe  the  sufferings  of  the 
foreigners  over  whom  the  waves  of  Boxerism  broke, 
or  who  fled  before  the  flood  engulfed  them.  But  the 
full  force  of  the  storm  beat  most  fiercely  on  the  de- 
voted heads  of  the  native  Christians.     Occasionally  an 


343    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

official  helped  the  foreigner,  but  who  of  them  lifted 
a  little  finger  to  shield  their  own  subjects,  the  native 
Christians?  The  foreigner,  though  under  a  cloud, 
might  regain  his  influence,  and  he  was,  perhaps,  worth 
making  a  friend  of.  But  the  natives  who  had  been  so 
base  as  to  follow  him  were  traitors  to  their  country, 
and  not  fit  to  live.  Flight  and  concealment  were 
equally  difficult.  True,  they  had  local  knowledge  of 
hiding-places,  but  that  was  equally  possessed  by  the 
sleuth-hounds  who  were  on  their  track.  And  some, 
while  trying  to  hide  their  foreign  friends,  were  slain 
because  they  refused  to  divulge  their  whereabouts. 
China,  too,  is  the  most  difficult  country  in  the  world  to 
hide  in.  Here  are  no  inaccessible  forests,  such  as  the 
fugitive  slaves  of  the  South  in  the  United  States  used 
to  hide  in.  Here  are  no  moss-hags  to  receive  the 
hard-pressed  runner,  as  in  Covenanting  Scotland. 
Even  the  mountains  of  China  are  inhabited  by  people, 
who  worm  themselves  in  '  like  worms  in  an  apple-core.' 
Boxerism  raged,  too,  over  the  great  plains  of  Northern 
China,  where  you  can  hardly  go  a  step  without  brushing 
up  against  a  man,  woman,  or  child.  The  fields  have 
watchers  of  crops.  Upon  all  the  reticulations  of  paths, 
you  cannot  travel  long  without  meeting  pedestrians. 
Happily,  the  sorghum  was  full  grown  during  the  brunt 
of  the  troubles,  and  gave  temporary  cover  to  fugitives 
until  hunger  or  thirst  drove  them  into  the  open. 
Frequently  the  crying  of  their  hungry  little  ones 
betrayed  their  hiding-places.  Women  especially  fell 
an  easy  prey  to  the  Boxers,  because  unable  on  account 
of  their  bound  feet  to  go  quickly  in  case  of  pursuit, 
and  thus  their  pursuers  fell  upon  them  and  slew 
them. 

But  the  Chinese   are  very  averse  to  wandering  far 


steadfastness  of  Chinese  Christians   349 

from  their  homes,  even  if  these  be  in  ashes.  If  they 
escaped  once,  back  they  would  come  again  to  the  old 
scenes,  perhaps  in  search  of  some  one  of  their  family, 
and  so  once  more  meet  their  enemies.  When  a  native 
leaves  his  village,  he  goes  among  strangers,  for  his  own 
countrymen  perceive  by  his  dialect,  or  brogue,  that  he 
is  a  stranger  (and  a  stranger  is  an  enemy  in  China 
still).  When  he  fled  from  Shan-si  into  the  next 
province,  there  also  Boxerism  raged.  No  wonder  they 
were  at  their  wits'  end  to  know  what  course  was  best. 
How,  then,  did  they  stand  through  the  storm?  That 
is  the  question  which  at  once  leaps  to  the  lips  of  the 
reader.  We  answer,  at  least  as  nobly  as  the  Christians 
in  Roman  persecutions. 

In  those  days  there  were  the  traditores,  who  sur- 
rendered the  sacred  books  to  the  persecutors.  That  was 
the  age  of  parchment  and  hard  labour,  which  made 
books  rare  and  expensive.  Hence  the  persecutors  hoped 
to  check  the  spread  of  Christianity  by  burning  the  books. 
Similarly,  the  first  Emperor  of  modern  China  sought  to 
destroy  Confucianism  by  burning  the  books  and  burying 
the  scholars.  But  nowadays  the  printing  press  makes 
books  cheap  and  plentiful.  It  would  be  hard  to  destroy 
all  the  Christian  books  in  China,  and  even  if  destroyed, 
the  West  would  supply  a  fresh  stock.  Hence  no  one 
thought  of  demanding  books,  and  we  had  no  traditores 
in  China.  We  had  libellates,  who  procured  false  certifi- 
cates from  the  magistrates  that  they  had  abandoned 
Christianity  and  returned  to  the  worship  of  idols.  In 
many  instances,  magistrates,  and  even  Boxers,  were 
anxious  that  Christians  should  accept  these  documents. 
Satisfied  with  outward  conformity,  both  sides  knowing 
well  that  the  Christians  were  Christians  still,  and  that 
their  so-called  reversion  to  paganism  was  only  make- 


350    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

believe,  till  the  storm  would  pass,  and  peaceful  and 
happier  days  return  to  the  land.  China  had  its 
theorificati^  who,  weakened  under  fear  or  torture, 
bowed  the  knees  to  idols.  But,  thank  God,  many  of 
these  went  out  like  Peter  and  wept  bitterly,  and  being 
converted  will  yet  strengthen  their  brethren. 

And  China  has  its  confessors  and  martyrs.  The 
former  tortured  and  harried,  'not  accepting  deliver- 
ance'; the  latter  going  up  to  Stephen  the  proto- 
martyr's  Master.  During  those  awful  months,  He  was 
bidding  welcome  to  a  succession  of  faithful  Chinese 
martyrs  who  joined  the  great  company  '  who  came 
through  great  tribulation,  and  washed  their  robes  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.' 

In  many  instances,  say  some,  they  were  given  no 
choice  to  confess  or  to  recant,  and  hence  they  are  not 
martyrs  in  the  strict  sense.  But  we  will  not  deny  to 
them  the  glorious  name — any  more  than  to  those 
missionaries  who  died  without  being  given  the  option  of 
recanting,  and  to  very  few  even  the  chance  to  confess. 
We  call  the  little  innocents  whom  Herod  slew  in 
Bethlehem  the  first  martyrs  for  Christ.  So  also  do 
these  Chinese  babes  in  Christ  deserve  the  name. 

Some  of  them,  mad  with  fear,  committed  suicide. 
At  first  sight,  we  are  ready  to  condemn  them,  for  the 
Christian  Church  in  all  ages  has  refused  to  follow  the 
Stoics,  Epicureans,  and  others  who  held  that  suicide, 
e.g.^  that  of  Cato,  is  sometimes  justifiable  and  even 
commendable ;  but  in  extenuation  we  must  remember 
that  the  Chinese  have  always  commended  suicide  in 
certain  cases.  Thus,  each  time  foreign  troops  have 
invaded  China,  their  victorious  march  has  been  preceded 
by  numerous  suicides  of  men  and  women,  who  died 
by  their  own  hand  rather  than  fall  into  the   hands  of 


Persecutions  of  Chinese  Christians    351 

foreigners.  Recently,  in  the  North,  the  same  thing  has 
taken  place.  Over  a  dozen  Imperial  decrees,  containing 
long  lists  of  these  suicides,  have  been  issued,  com- 
mending their  patriotism,  and  conferring  honours  upon 
them  and  their  descendants.  And  shall  we  greatly 
wonder  if  Chinese,  having  only  lately  come  out  of 
heathenism,  did  the  same,  through  fear  of  falling  into 
the  hands  of  Boxers,  from  whose  horrible  cruelty  they 
as  Chinese  knew  so  well  what  to  expect  ?  But  foreign 
example  even  in  this  is  not  wanting.  Dr.  Martin,  in  his 
book.  The  Siege  in  Peking^  tells  us  of  foreign  ladies  who 
desired  their  friends  to  shoot  them  in  the  worst  event, 
rather  than  allow  them  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Chinese.  And  their  friends  consented.  Tennyson 
celebrates  the  fight  of  Sir  Richard  Grenville  on  the  little 
Revenge  against  the  Spanish  galleons,  and  tells  us 
how,  at  the  last.  Sir  Richard  cried: 

*  Sink  we  the  ship,  Master  Gunner,  sink  her,  spht  her  in  twain. 
Fall  into  the  hands  of  God,  not  into  the  hands  of  Spain  ! ' 

And  the  Boxers  were  more  cruel  than  the  Dons. 

The  accounts  which  follow  make  no  pretence  to 
completeness.  As  these  accounts  of  heroic  suffering  are 
perused,  the  reader  should  bear  in  mind  the  multitudes 
who  suffered  at  the  same  time  the  same  things,  and 
perhaps  even  worse  tortures,  and  of  whose  heroic 
endurance  no  record  remains. 

The  native  Church  in  Manchuria  is  the  largest  in 
China,  over  ten  thousand  being  communicants  and  as 
many  inquirers.  The  Boxer  craze  swept  through  the 
whole  field.  There  were  three  distinct  periods  of  trial : 
I.  The  'Fining  Time,'  previous  to  the  Imperial  decree 
ordering  the  extermination  of  all  foreigners.  2.  The 
'■  Killing  Time,'  reminding  us  of  the  Scotch  Covenanting 


352    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

times.  3.  The  '  Torturing  Time,'  with  a  view  to  extort 
money. 

In  the  Sungari  region  in  most  cases  the  Christians 
fled,  and  lost  all  their  property.  Those  caught  were 
imprisoned  and  tortured ;  others  were  suspended  with 
ropes  from  the  roof-tree.  At  least  one  man  was  roasted 
with  fire,  and  his  son,  on  hearing  of  his  father's  sufferings, 
committed  suicide. 

In  Hai  Lung  Cheng  the  persecution  was  most 
virulent.  All  chapels  and  private  houses  of  Christians 
were  destroyed.  In  the  city,  four  men  were  put  to 
death,  testifying  their  allegiance  to  Christ.  Chang,  a 
blind  preacher,  was  harassed  a  week,  during  which  he 
spent  most  of  the  time  praying  and  fasting.  He  was 
then  led  out  to  a  temple  and  beheaded,  praying  and 
confessing  Christ.  At  Shan-cheng-tzu  forty-one  were 
killed.  Hsin-Min-tun  suffered  most  of  all.  Forty-five 
died  by  murder  or  fright  or  suicide,  and  sixty  per  cent, 
of  the  houses  were  burned.  In  Kuang-Ning  forty-six 
died.  Two  Bible-women  died  after  faithfully  witnessing 
for  Christ.  One  was  killed  by  the  Boxers.  The  other 
was  hunted  from  place  to  place,  and  at  last  the  family 
which  sheltered  her  was  killed  for  doing  so,  after  which 
she  and  her  husband,  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  strain, 
committed  suicide.  One  woman,  over  eighty,  thought 
the  Boxers  would  respect  her  age,  and  so  made  no 
attempt  at  flight.  They  asked  her  if  she  believed  in 
Buddha.  She  replied  that  she  did  not,  and  was  at  once 
cut  down. 

Dr.  Ross  writes  of  the  native  Christians  in  Manchuria  : 
'  Over  three  hundred  of  our  Christians  were  beheaded, 
some  with  the  brutality  which  the  Chinese  can  manifest. 
Among  these  were  very  few  women.  As  far  as  I  have 
heard,  there  was  only  one  place  where  men,  women,  and 


Testimony  of  Dr.  Ross  353 

children  were  without  exception  and  without  mercy 
beheaded.  In  most  places  the  women  and  children  were 
unmolested. 

'  The  severity  of  the  persecution  depended  on  the 
character  first  of  the  headman,  and,  second,  of  the 
mandarin  of  the  district.  Except  the  character  of  the 
mandarin,  I  have  been  able  to  trace  no  intelligible  reason 
for  the  great  diversity  in  the  severity  of  the  persecution. 
The  most  uncompromising  and  deadly  form  of  persecu- 
tion was  in  the  town  of  Sin-pin-pu.  Here  we  had  a 
congregation  of  three  hundred  members,  a  large  propor- 
tion being  merchants  and  comfortable  farmers.  The 
value  of  the  loss  of  goods  and  property  there  was  fully 
Si 00,000  Mex.  (;^  10,000).  Every  man,  woman,  and  child 
belonging  to  the  Christian  religion  who  was  seized  was 
mercilessly  and  often  barbarously  put  to  death.  In  this 
town,  where  there  was  no  visible  cause  of  any  grudge 
against  the  Christians,  beyond  their  connection  with  the 
foreigner,  the  persecution  was  more  heartless  that  in  any 
other  part  of  Manchuria.  I  have  seen  the  mandarin, 
and  I  can  understand  his  attitude.  He  is  a  devoted 
Buddhist  and  an  ignorant  man.  By  his  action  he  hoped 
to  accumulate  a  stock  of  merit.  All  over  the  country 
we  find  diversity — not  because  of  what  the  Christians 
were  or  had  done,  but  because  of  the  character,  the 
knowledge,  and  the  aims  of  the  mandarin.' 

The  following  narrative  of  the  sufferings  of  some  of 
the  native  Christians  in  Peking  is  from  the  pen  of  Miss 
G.  Smith,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society: — 

'  One  of  the  most  promising  schoolgirls,  the  daughter 
of  Shao  Hsing-sheng  of  Yen  San,  who  with  his  wife  was 
murdered,  was  married  to  a  young  preacher,  Chang. 
They  first  came  to  the  Methodist  Mission,  but  Mr. 
Chang  evidently  did  not  think  the  compound  safe,  so  he 
23 


354    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

removed  his  wife  to  his  adopted  mother's  house.  He  left 
her  there  for  a  short  time,  and  during  his  absence  the 
landlord  turned  her,  her  baby,  and  her  old  blind  mother- 
in-law  out  of  the  house.  As  she  slowly  went  along, 
guiding  the  steps  of  the  poor  blind  mother,  and  wonder- 
ing where  she  should  go,  she  was  seized  by  a  Boxer, 
who  fortunately  was  not  armed  and  was  alone.  He  took 
her  by  the  sleeve  of  her  loose  dress  and  said,  "  Follow 
me."  She  was  compelled  therefore  to  leave  the  blind 
mother  and  follow  his  rapid  footsteps.  When  they  had 
gone  some  distance,  he  had  a  Boxer  fit,  throwing  himself 
on  the  ground  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage.  He  foamed  for  a 
short  while,  then  rose  and  said,  pointing  a  stiff  finger 
at  her,  "  You  erh  mao  tza^  I  will  kill  you." 

*  Upon  arriving  at  a  place  close  to  one  of  the  city 
gates,  she  saw  about  fifty  armed  soldiers  guarding  the 
gate,  and  not  far  away  there  were  corpses  of  about  seven 
Christians  who  had  been  hacked  to  pieces  near  the  spot. 
She  thought,  "  This  is  one  of  the  places  where  they  kill 
the  Christians.  I  am  going  to  be  killed.  O  Lord 
Jesus,"  she  prayed,  "  give  me  courage  to  witness  for  Thee 
until  the  end."  The  Boxer  who  had  brought  her  there 
said,  "  Are  you  a  Christian  ? "  She  replied,  "  I  am." 
"Of  what  Church?"  "I  am  a  Protestant."  He  then 
placed  a  stick  of  incense  in  her  hand  and  said,  "  Burn 
this  to  the  gods,  and  your  life  will  be  saved."  She 
replied  firmly,  "  Never."  The  crowd  who  had  gathered 
around  began  to  jeer  and  laugh,  and  said,  "  Kill  her, 
kill  her,  and  see  if  her  body  will  rise  again  and  go  to 
Jesus  Christ."  She  turned  upon  them  and  said,  "  My 
body  cut  in  pieces  will  remain  scattered  on  the  ground 
as  these  others,  but  my  spirit  will  escape  you  and  rise  to 
God."  She  heard  the  soldiers  exclaim,  "  How  bold  she 
is  !     She  is  not  a  bit  afraid  to  die." 


A  Brave  Chinese  Girl  355 

'  The  Boxer  then  started  off  somewhere  to  fetch  his 
wife.  One  of  the  soldiers  then  called  out,  "  You  hateful 
Christian !  you  ought  to  die.  But  what  would  your 
poor  infant  do  ?  Quick,  run  for  your  life  !  "  She  tried  to 
run,  but  her  knees  trembled  so  that  she  could  hardly 
move.  The  soldiers  urged  her,  and  she  managed  to 
escape  before  the  Boxer  came  back.  She  found  a 
hiding-place,  a  filthy  little  corner  of  a  lonely  place,  and 
half-kneeling,  half-crouching,  she  passed  the  night.  In 
the  early  morning  she  observed  the  light  of  a  lantern 
flickering  to  and  fro,  as  though  the  owner  was  searching 
for  some  one.  She  hardly  dared  breathe,  but  as  the 
light  drew  nearer  she  saw  with  joy  that  it  was  her 
husband.  He  had  been  seeking  her  since  noon  the  day 
before. 

'They  succeeded  in  getting  a  cart  and  leaving  the 
city  in  safety.  They  went  to  a  little  country  village, 
and  there  a  friend  bought  their  safety  by  paying  a  large 
sum  of  money  to  the  villagers  not  to  betray  them.  Mr. 
Chang  was  very  much  concerned  about  his  old  blind 
mother,  left  alone  in  the  streets  of  Peking,  so,  after  ten 
days,  he  decided  to  return  to  the  city  and  look  for  her. 
He  arrived  here,  was  seized  by  the  Boxers,  and  murdered 
with  one  of  our  dispensers.  Their  hearts  were  cut  out 
and  offered  to  the  idol.  The  dispenser  leaves  a  wife 
with  four  small  children. 

'  Another  of  our  married  schoolgirls'  lives  was  saved 
by  her  husband  in  a  curious  way.  In  a  very  unfrequented 
spot  he  built  a  little  stone  hut,  leaning  against  a  blank 
wall,  and  looking  as  much  like  a  heap  of  ruins  as 
possible.  The  hut  was  about  six  feet  high  and  four  feet 
square,  without  door  or  window,  and  when  he  had 
placed  his  wife  and  child  inside,  he  bricked  up  the 
aperture  by  which   they   had   entered,   only   leaving  a 


356    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

small  hole  large  enough  to  pass  a  little  food  and  water 
through.  Here  they  remained  for  six  weeks  in  the 
hottest  part  of  the  year,  and  they  both  suffered  unspeak- 
able misery.  The  husband,  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
crept  backwards  and  forwards  with  food  and  water,  but  the 
supply  was  always  scanty,  and  sometimes  he  was  unable 
to  come  for  twenty-four  hours  together.  The  poor  little 
baby  lived  to  leave  its  close  prison,  but  died  soon  after- 
wards, as  the  result  of  semi-starvation  during  so  many 
days. 

*  An  old  Christian  named  Chiang,  and  a  member  of 
our  Shih  Pa  Li  Tien  church,  sixty-seven  years  of  age,  took 
refuge  with  us  at  the  Methodist  Mission.  He  was  a 
great  Bible  student,  and  had  always  led  a  really  con- 
sistent Christian  life,  and  was  therefore  much  respected 
by  all.  He  was  restless  and  unhappy  at  the  Mission,  as 
his  youngest  and  favourite  married  daughter  was  still  in 
the  country,  and  he  feared  for  her.  At  last  he  decided 
to  leave  his  safe  shelter  and  go  and  see  how  his  daughter 
fared,  and  nothing  we  could  say  could  turn  him  from  his 
purpose.  The  first  opportunity  that  occurred  he  slipped 
away,  and  this  was  the  last  of  saintly  Mr.  Chiang. 
On  the  way  to  his  country  home,  he  was  betrayed  by  a 
woman,  who  pointed  him  out  as  an  erh  mao  tzu.  They 
seized  him,  and  told  him  that  he  must  die.  "Very  well," 
he  replied,  "  but  first  give  me  a  little  time  to  pray,"  and 
falling  on  his  knees  he  began,  "  Father,  forgive  them," 
but  his  prayer  was  never  completed.  The  cruel  knives 
descended  on  the  aged,  kneeling  figure,  and  he  was 
hacked  to  pieces. 

'  Another  of  our  country  Christians,  with  his  wife  and 
children,  took  refuge  in  the  city.  Here  he  was  betrayed 
by  a  friend,  who  handed  him  over  to  a  party  of  Boxers. 
They    examined    him,    and    decided    he    was    not     a 


Native  Persecutions  357 

Christian.  Whether  he  recanted  or  not,  we  do  not  now 
know,  but  the  Boxers  treated  him  very  kindly,  and  gave 
him  a  sort  of  protection  ticket.  He  returned  to  his  family, 
but  his  wife  says  she  never  saw  any  one  so  completely 
subdued  by  fear.  He  was  ghastly  white,  and  trembling 
all  over.  "  There  is  no  hope  for  us,"  he  said  in  a 
low  voice  ;  "  we  shall  all  be  taken  and  killed.  Let  us  die 
now."  He  then  produced  opium,  which  he  insisted  on 
his  wife  and  children  eating,  and  then,  swallowing  a  large 
dose  himself,  he  lay  down  on  the  floor  beside  his  youngest 
boy.  His  wife  and  eldest  son  fortunately  failed  to 
retain  the  opium,  and,  after  remaining  in  a  state  of  semi- 
unconsciousness  for  a  day,  recovered.  But  the  husband 
and  little  one  died. 

*  One  of  our  Christian  Endeavourers  wandered  about 
homeless  and  penniless  for  more  than  a  month.  He  at 
last  took  refuge  in  a  little  cave  in  the  Northern  Hills, 
and,  thoroughly  weakened  by  famine,  at  last  contem- 
plated suicide,  an  alternative  to  slow  starvation.  As  he 
crouched  in  his  little  shelter,  an  old  man  passed  by, 
and,  observing  his  miserable  state,  spoke  kindly  to  him, 
and  said,  "  You  may  share  with  me  the  only  food  I 
possess,  a  little  millet."  The  poor  Christian  gratefully 
accepted  a  small  bagful,  and  subsisted  on  it  raw  for  a 
few  days,  when  he  heard  that  the  foreign  troops  had 
come,  and  he  joyfully  hastened  back  to  the  city. 

*  A  Christian  named  Wen,  his  wife  and  daughter,  and 
another  Christian  and  her  baby,  were  seized  by  the 
Boxers  and  taken  before  Prince  Chuang.  The  baby 
was  an  engaging  little  fellow,  and  won  the  hearts  of  some 
of  the  Boxers,  so  the  mother's  life  was  spared  for  his 
sake.  A  servant  of  a  big  official  who  was  present  at 
the  trial  swore  that  Mr.  Wen  was  not  a  Christian,  but  a 
respectable   carter  whom    his    master   knew   very  well. 


35^    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

His  evidence  was  accepted,  and  Wen  and  his  family- 
were  released.  As  they  left  Prince  Chuang's  abode, 
Mr.  Wen  was  again  seized  by  Boxers,  but  the  rest  of  the 
party  managed  to  escape,  and  took  refuge  in  the  country, 
where  they  found  a  safe  hiding-place  till  the  troops  came 
to  Peking.  Mr.  Wen's  head  was  shaved  by  his  captors, 
he  was  loaded  with  chains,  and  in  this  sad  plight  was 
led  from  village  to  village  by  his  captors,  who  stated 
that  he  was  an  erh  mao  tzii  they  were  taking  to  Peking, 
but  that  they  lacked  the  necessary  funds.  While  a 
collection  was  being  taken,  he  was  hooted  and  jeered 
at  and  tormented  by  the  crowd  of  villagers  who  had 
collected  round  him.  When  a  sufficient  sum  had  been 
levied,  the  show  moved  on  to  the  next  village.  When 
the  news  reached  his  captors  that  the  allies  had  reached 
Peking,  they  took  to  their  heels  and  ran  away.  Mr. 
Wen  followed  their  example,  but  ran  in  an  opposite 
direction,  and  he  hardly  ceased  running  until  he  reached 
the  capital. 

*  One  of  our  church  members,  a  man  named  Tung, 
was  asked  by  another  Christian  to  flee  with  him  to  the 
Northern  Hills.  Tung  replied,  "The  Lord  is  able  to 
keep  me  safe  here  in  the  city,  if  it  be  His  will  that  I 
should  live,  and  I  would  rather  remain  in  Peking."  He 
did  so,  and  a  few  days  after  he  was  caught  by  Boxers, 
who  cut  his  throat  in  a  brutal  manner,  and  left  him  for 
dead  by  the  side  of  the  road.  His  mother  and  brother, 
who  were  heathen,  found  him,  and  carried  him  outside 
the  Chien  Men.  Here  they  erected  a  mat  shed,  and 
gradually  nursed  him  back  to  life.  But  before  the 
wound  in  his  throat  had  healed,  the  Boxers,  like  blood- 
hounds, were  on  his  track  once  more.  He  implored  his 
mother  and  brother  to  flee  while  there  was  time.  He 
said,  "  You  are  heathen ;   why  should  you  perish  with 


Story  of  Li  Pai  359 

me  ?  "     As  they  refused  to  go,  he  decided  to  die  himself, 

and  thus  leave  the  way  clear  for  them  to  depart.     They 

approved  of  his  decision,  and  purchased  three  kinds  of 

poison,  all  of  which  he  took  without  any  ill  effects.     The 

Boxers  had  by  this  time  arrived  at  the  little  hut,  so,  with 

an  imploring  look  at  his  mother  to  flee,  he  took  a  large 

knife   and   inflicted  a  fearful   wound  on  the  other  side 

of  his  throat  to  where  the  Boxers  had  previously  cut. 

They   thus   found   him   apparently   bleeding  to  death. 

They  carried  him    to    Prince   Chuang,  where  so  many 

Christians   were   tried    and    condemned   to   death,   but 

decided  when  he  got  there  that  he  was  as  good  as  dead 

already,  so  he  was  just  thrown  out  on  a  heap  of  stones 

by  the  roadside.     He  lay  there  insensible  till  midnight, 

when  he  came  to  himself,  and  found  the  new  and  old 

wounds  in  his  throat  had  stopped  bleeding.     He  found 

he  had  strength  to  crawl,  and  dragged  himself  to  a  little 

retreat  he  thought  of  outside  the  city  gates.     In  a  day 

or  two,  the  allies  entered  Peking,  and  he  was  discovered 

by  a  European  soldier.     Tung  pointed  to  his  throat,  and 

said  "  Boxer  "  in  English.     The  soldier  understood,  and 

very  kindly  assisted  him  into  the  city,  where  his  friends 

nursed  him  until  completely  well.     He  has  lately  been 

happily  married  to  a  very  nice  girl,  who  loves  him  all 

the    more   for   what   he   has   endured,  in  spite   of  two 

hideous  scars  which  stand  out  in  livid  ugliness  on  his 

throat.' 

Li  Pai  was  a  shepherd  on  the  hillsides  near  the  city 
of  Shao  Yang,  Shan-si,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pigott 
laboured.  He  became  one  of  the  first-fruits  of  Shao  Yang 
Mission.  After  helping  the  missionaries  as  well  as 
he  could,  he  was  finally  sent  away,  and,  after  many 
adventures,   reached  the   coast.     His   story   was   taken 


360    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

down  by  Dr.  Edwards,  of  the  Shao  Yang  Mission,  who 
was  in  Peking  at  the  time.  Only  parts  of  it  illustrative 
of  the  sufferings  of  natives  are  given  : — 

*  After  Mr.  Pigott  had  sent  him  away,  much  against 
his  will,  the  faithful  man  still  kept  following  at  a  distance 
to  see  how  the  missionaries  would  fare.  As  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  him  to  go  into  the  city,  he  hid  himself 
in  an  empty  shed  outside  the  city  gate.  Only  at  night 
did  he  venture  forth  to  listen  to  the  conversation  of 
passers-by,  in  order  to  learn,  if  possible,  what  had  become 
of  the  party.  His  hiding-place  was  close  to  the  road, 
and  once  he  heard  a  great  noise  of  shouting  and 
trampling,  and  thought  the  Boxers  were  upon  him.  But 
it  passed  by,  and  he  afterwards  learned  that  it  was  a 
mob,  hurrying  seven  fellows-Christians  to  a  horrible 
death.  Fearing  detection  if  he  stayed  too  long  in  the 
shed,  he  stole  forth  one  dark  night,  and  went  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  house  of  an  old  friend,  a  heathen, 
who  was  terribly  scared  when  he  opened  the  door  and 
saw  the  face  of  a  Christian.  At  first  he  would  not  let 
him  in,  being  afraid  lest  Li  Pai  was  seeking  shelter,  and 
might  involve  him  in  a  common  ruin.  However,  Li  Pai 
assured  him  he  was  not  going  to  stay,  and  begged  him 
to  find  out  the  whereabouts  of  the  missionaries,  and  tell 
him.  "You  will  find  me  at  such  and  such  a  place,"  said 
Li  Pai,  and  departed. 

*  The  poor  fellow  was  so  anxious  for  news  that  he 
had  revealed  his  hiding-place  to  a  doubtful  friend.  On 
reflection  he  perceived  the  folly  of  this  course,  and  at 
once  left  the  shed,  and  hid  himself  in  the  tall  sorghum, 
w^here,  unseen  himself,  he  might  get  a  stealthy  peep  at 
passers-by.  To  his  surprise,  he  beheld  his  friend  passing, 
and  revealed  himself  to  him.  The  friend  gave  him  three 
cakes,  which  he  devoured  with  thankfulness.     For  some 


story  of  Li  Pai  361 

days  he  had  had  nothing  but  a  Httle  grass  and  unripe 
wheat,  which  he  plucked  in  the  fields.  From  the  friend 
he  learned  the  road  the  Pigott  party  were  to  be  taken  to 
the  capital,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  he  travelled  to  a 
point  beside  the  road,  where  he  hid  himself,  to  see  them 
pass  by.  He  was  rewarded  by  seeing  the  party  pass 
under  escort,  and  heavily  ironed.  Of  course  he  did 
not  dare  show  himself,  but  he  followed  them,  getting 
glimpses  and  news  of  them  at  different  points  right  up 
to  T'ai-yuen-fu. 

'A  distant  relative  secreted  him  for  a  time,  by 
partitioning  off  a  small  space  in  his  granary  with  straw, 
within  which  Li  Pai  lay,  until  he  finally  learned  of  the 
death  of  the  missionaries  at  the  Governor's  Yamen. 
With  a  heavy  heart  he  again  took  to  the  road  back  to 
Shao  Yang.  For  two  days  he  wandered  aimlessly  about, 
not  knowing  where  to  go  or  what  to  do.  Then  he 
thought  he  would  go  to  Hsin  Chou,  where  the  Baptists 
had  a  station,  but  a  friendly  muleteer  recognised  him 
on  the  road,  and  turned  him  back,  saying  that  all  the 
missionaries  had  been  murdered.  Then  he  found  a 
secluded  village  in  the  mountains  where  he  got  work  in 
the  fields,  but,  fearing  discovery,  he  moved  on,  at  last 
returning  to  Shao  Yang,  where  he  slept  in  a  disused  brick- 
kiln, and  learned  of  the  method  of  securing  a  certificate 
of  protection  by  recanting.  One  recreant  convert  was 
employed  in  the  Yamen  as  recorder  of  the  names  of 
those  who  recanted. 

*  At  last  Li  Pai  thought  of  a  friend  whose  home  was 
near  Shun  Te-fu,  in  Chihli,  and  he  set  off  to  find  him. 
As  he  had  been  all  through  this  region  selling  Christian 
books,  he  was  in  great  danger  of  being  recognised,  and 
he  therefore  went  very  slowly  and  cautiously,  begging 
his  way  in  the  smallest  hamlets,  as  he  had  no  money  to 


362    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

buy  food.  After  twenty  days'  painful  travel,  he  reached 
Shun  Te-fu,  very  thin  and  weak.  Four  times  during 
that  dangerous  journey  had  he  been  in  mortal  peril. 
Here  are  his  own  words : 

* "  Had  it  not  been  for  God's  mercy,  I  should  not  be 
here  to  tell  the  story.  The  first  time  I  was  in  danger 
was  on  August  7.  When  passing  through  a  large  village, 
I  was  recognised  by  one  man  as  a  Christian.  He 
immediately  pounced  upon  me,  bound  my  hands,  and 
told  the  villagers  I  was  an  er-mao-tsi  (secondary  rebel). 
He  took  me  to  the  village  temple,  and  beat  the  big  bell 
to  call  all  the  villagers  together.  He  told  them  I  was  a 
Christian,  and  ought  to  be  killed.  But  no  one  took  his 
side,  and  some  said  that  whether  I  was  a  Christian  or 
not  was  nothing  to  them.  *  Very  well,'  he  said,  '  if 
nothing  to  you,  I  will  myself  take  him  to  Shao  Yang  and 
hand  him  over  to  the  magistrate.'  With  that  he  led 
me  outside  the  village,  but  suddenly  turned  round,  threw 
down  the  rope,  and  said  to  me,  '  Go.'  I  think  he  was 
chagrined  because  no  one  else  sided  with  him. 

'"That  same  afternoon  I  was  passing  through  a 
village,  and  stooped  down  to  drink  from  a  well.  Some 
people  saw  me,  and  rushed  towards  me,  accusing  me  of 
putting  poison  in  the  water.  Again  I  was  bound,  and 
they  took  me  to  the  village  temple,  and  discussed  what 
should  be  done  with  me.  Some  said, '  Bury  him  alive ' ; 
others  said,  '  No,  let  us  take  him  to  the  nearest  official.' 
At  last  an  old  man  came  along,  and  said,  'We  don't 
want  to  kill  anybody  here  ;  and  if  you  take  the  man  to 
the  Yamen,  you  will  have  to  spend  money.  Bring  him 
to  my  house,  and  we  will  make  him  drink  water  from 
that  well  every  day,  and  then  we  shall  know  if  he  has 
put  poison  in  it.'  To  this  they  agreed,  and  he  took  me 
to  his  house,  where  I  stayed  till  the  nth.     During  this 


story  of  Li  Pai  363 

time  he  treated  me  very  well.  He  was  a  talkative  old 
man,  and  I  had  many  opportunities  of  explaining  to 
him  why  the  Christians  were  hated,  and  in  this  way  I 
was  able  to  preach  to  him.  When  he  let  me  go  on  the 
nth,  he  gave  me  a  few  small  loaves  to  help  me  on  my 
journey. 

'"Two  days  later,  August  13,  I  was  again  in  great 
jeopardy,  for  in  the  morning  I  was  recognised  in  a 
village  where  I  had  been  some  time  before  selling  books. 
I  was  again  bound,  and  the  crowd  which  gathered  on 
the  street  discussed  how  they  should  kill  me.  One 
said,  '  We  have  no  sword.'  Others  said,  '  We  have  our 
sickles.'  '  That  will  do,'  they  said,  and  they  were  lead- 
ing me  outside  the  village,  when,  to  my  surprise,  they 
one  by  one  dropped  behind,  until  only  the  man  who 
had  the  rope  which  was  round  my  neck  was  left. 
Looking  around  and  finding  himself  alone  with  me, 
he  threw  down  the  rope  and  ran  back  as  fast  as  he 
could,  while  I  was  allowed  to  go  on  in  peace. 

' "  But  my  troubles  for  that  day  were  not  over.  I 
remembered  that  in  the  neighbourhood  lived  a  man 
whom  I  had  once  employed  as  a  shepherd.  If  I  could 
find  him,  I  thought  he  would  be  willing  to  aid  me.  I 
found  him  that  afternoon,  but,  to  my  dismay,  directly 
he  saw  me  he  called  out  to  his  fellow-villagers,  '  The 
er-niao-tsi  has  come.'  He  then  told  them  that  I  had 
led  many  foreigners  into  Shan-si,  who  had  killed  many 
Chinese.  They  bound  my  hands  behind  me,  and  after 
a  time  tied  me  up  by  my  thumbs  to  a  beam,  and  kept 
me  there  all  that  night,  while  they  discussed  if  they 
should  kill  me.  In  the  morning,  another  old  man  again 
pleaded  my  cause,  and  suggested  they  should  let  me  go. 
To  this  they  agreed,  if  I  would  write  a  paper  guarantee- 
ing that  none  in  the  village  should  die  because  of  my 


364    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

visit.  I  said  that,  as  I  could  not  guarantee  my  own 
life,  much  less  could  I  guarantee  theirs.  They  then 
said  I  must  leave  them  my  name  and  the  name  of  my 
village.  At  once  I  agreed  to  this,  and  they  then  let 
me  go." 

*  Li  Pai  found  his  friend,  whose  house  was  a  haven 
of  rest,  as  the  Boxers  were  not  so  bad  there  as  in  Shan-si. 
Having  regained  his  strength,  he  again  started  for 
Shan-si,  passing  mission  stations  in  ruins  and  the  place 
where  his  brother  had  been  murdered.  He  seemed  drawn 
back  to  that  awful  province  by  a  sort  of  longing  which 
he  could  not  resist.  He  visited  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  at 
last  came  again  to  Shao  Yang.  There  he  learned  that 
Mr.  Pigott's  faithful  helper  had  been  arrested  by  the 
Boxers,  and  put  through  a  mock  trial.  A  circle  was 
made  on  the  floor,  and  the  figure  of  a  cross  within  it. 
The  helper  was  then  commanded  to  spit  upon  it.  On 
his  declining,  he  was  ordered  away  to  execution.  Here 
he  also  learned  particulars  of  the  murder  of  many  native 
Christians,  and  of  others  who  were  only  inquirers,  or 
had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  missionaries.  He  then 
left  for  Pao-ting-fu,  where  he  met  foreign  friends,  and 
his  troubles  were  over.' 

The  following  are  some  of  the  experiences  of  native 
converts  connected  with  the  Methodist  Mission  : — 

Chang  An,  a  steward,  was  taken  by  the  Boxers,  who 
demanded  that  he  should  recant  and  worship  the  idols. 
He  replied,  *  I  will  not ;  you  can  do  as  you  please 
with  me,  but  I  will  not  deny  the  Lord.'  He  died  under 
the  sword. 

Tou  Tang,  a  faithful,  intelligent  Christian,  had  poor 
eyesight.  When  his  friends  urged  him  to  make  his 
escape,  he  said,  *  I  cannot  flee ;  I  shall  be  taken.'     The 


Faithful  unto  Death  365 

Boxers  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  recant  and  save  his 
Hfe.  He  firmly  refused,  and  early  in  the  morning  they 
took  him  out  and  slew  him. 

Mrs.  Yang,  a  pale,  delicate,  timid  woman,  with  her 
two  little  girls,  was  taken  by  the  Boxers,  then  released. 
She  fled  to  relatives  in  the  mountains,  and  was  taken 
again.  They  tried  to  make  her  recant  and  worship 
the  idols  in  the  temple  to  which  they  took  her.  An 
attempt  also  was  made  to  compel  her  to  marry  one  of 
their  number,  and  thus  save  her  life.  To  all  these 
demands  she  opposed  a  firm  denial,  and  she  and  her 
daughters  were  cut  down  with  swords. 

Liu  Ming-chin,  a  chapel-keeper,  was  bound  to  a 
pillar  in  the  temple  of  Yu  Huang.  He  kept  preaching 
to  his  persecutors,  as  he  was  bound,  realising  that  the 
Word  of  God  was  not  bound.  One  of  the  Boxers  in  a 
rage  cried,  '  You  still  preach,  do  you  ? '  and  slit  his 
mouth  from  ear  to  ear. 

A  Bible-woman,  named  Wu,  was  taken  to  the  same 
temple  and  bound  to  a  pillar.  She  was  beaten  across 
the  breasts,  but  never  uttered  a  cry.  Then  a  bunch  of 
lighted  incense  was  held  to  her  face  till  all  the  flesh  was 
burned  off.  Then  her  feet  and  hands  were  cut  off. 
Finally  she  was  carried  out  of  the  temple,  hacked  to 
pieces,  and  burned. 

A  schoolboy,  named  Wang  Chih-shen,  was  taken. 
He  could  have  saved  his  life  by  worshipping  some 
tablets.  The  village  elders  even  begged  him  to  do  it, 
saying  that  then  they  could  secure  his  release.  But 
he  refused,  saying,  '  I  can't  do  it.  To  say  nothing  of 
disobeying  God,  I  could  never  look  my  teacher  and 
schoolmaster  in  the  face  if  I  did  it.'     So  he  died. 

In  the  Tsun  Hua  region,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight   perished    for   their   faith.      Many  of  these   were 


366    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

tortured,  as  only  heathen  Chinese  know  how  to  torture. 
They  now  wear  the  martyr's  crown. 

In  the  Kaiping  region,  forty-five  Christians  were  mur- 
dered. A  father  who  had  seen  his  son,  seventeen  years 
old,  beaten  to  death  for  not  recanting,  refused  to  recant. 
Beaten  and  bruised,  he  was  appealed  to  three  times, — 
'  Will  you  recant  now  ? '  *  No,  no,  no,  not  if  you  kill 
me ! '  Then  he  was  thrown  into  prison,  as  an  obdurate 
fellow  not  fit  to  live.  He  was  rescued  long  after  by 
Russian  troops.  Burning  alive,  beating  to  death,  dis- 
memberment, disembowelling,  drowning,  snipping  to 
pieces  under  a  straw-cutter,  throwing  from  a  precipice, 
saturating  with  oil  and  then  burning,  burying  alive, — 
such  were  some  of  the  cruel  tortures  through  which  our 
brethren  and  sisters  entered  into  the  glory  of  heaven. 

Dr.  E.  H.  Edwards,  one  of  the  first  party  of  mission- 
aries to  revisit  Shan-si  after  the  troubles,  has  gathered  up 
the  story  of  the  native  martyrs  in  Shan-si,  and  has  carefully 
sifted  the  narrative,  so  as  to  obtain  the  truth.  His  list, 
however,  cannot  be  exhaustive,  and  contains  only  a  few  of 
the  faithful  servants  of  Christ  who  walked  the  doleful 
way  with  Him  during  those  awful  days. 

'  While  there  were  isolated  cases  of  persecution  by 
the  Boxers  as  early  as  April,  the  storm  did  not  break 
with  full  violence  till  the  end  of  June.  On  the  25th  of 
that  month  a  proclamation  was  posted  up  at  the  telegraph 
office  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  which  purported  to  be  an  Imperial 
decree.  The  substance  of  it  was  thatat  Tuka  war  had 
begun,  the  Boxers  having  destroyed  two  foreign  war- 
ships. It  stated  that,  as  a  result,  the  Emperor  was 
extremely  pleased  ;  and  further,  "  now  even  children  were 
able  to  use  the  sword  and  protect  the  country,  and  did 
not  ask  the  Government  for  money  or  rations."     The 


The  Terror  in  T'ai-yuen-fu         367 

Boxers  would   therefore   burn    all    Christian  places  of 
worship,  and  kill  all  Christians. 

'  On  July  9  came  the  massacre  at  T'ai-yuen-fu,  by 
the  orders  and  under  the  eyes  of  Yii   Hsien  himself. 
On  the  day  of  the   great   massacre,  all  Chmese   who 
were  found  in  the  house  with  the  missionaries,  no  matter 
for   what   purpose,   were    killed;   and   there   happened 
to  be  five  with  the  Protestants,  and  the  same  number 
with  the  Roman  Catholics.     Within  the  next  few  days 
four  Protestants  and  about  forty  Roman  Catholics  were 
killed  in  the  city.     That  a  larger  number  did  not  suffer, 
is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  some  of  the  officials  did 
what  they  could  to  restrain  the  malice  of  the  Governor, 
inducing   him   to   allow   a   proclamation   to   be   issued 
granting  protection  to  the  converts  if  they  would  recant. 
*  In   other  places   throughout   the  province,  it  was, 
however,  very  different ;  the  people,  being  in  abject  terror, 
and  carried  away  with  a  frenzy,  implicitly  believed  the 
absurd  stories  assiduously  spread  about  by  the  Boxers. 
The  old  fable  of  foreigners  and  Christians  cutting  out 
and  scattering  the  figure  of  a  man  in  paper,  which  in  a 
few  days  came  to  life  and  then  had  the  power  of  domg 
much  harm,  was  believed.     It  was  said  that  men,  more 
especially  beggars,  were  hired  by  the  Christians  to  poison 
the   village  wells,   and  make   a   mark  with    some   red 
substance  on  the  doors  of  the  houses— the  inhabitants  of 
houses  so  marked  being  sure  to  get  ill  and  perhaps  die. 
So  great  was  the  terror  spread  by  these  reports,  that 
numberless  persons  were  killed  who  had  no  connection 
with    Christianity.       In    consequence    of   the    drought 
existing  at  that  time,  many  people  were  wandering  about 
picking  up  a  precarious  living,  and  not  a  few  of  them 
were  accused  of  being  in  the  pay  of  foreigners  for  bad 
purposes,  and  killed  at  sight.     It  was  extremely  danger- 


368    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

ous  even  for  respectable  foot-travellers  to  go  about 
singly,  especially  if  they  happened  to  stop  near  a  village 
well  to  drink.  They  might  be  immediately  seized  and 
their  belongings  searched,  to  see  if  they  had  anything  in 
the  shape  of  medicine  with  which  they  could  poison  the 
water. 

'  It  is  but  little  wonder  that  the  Christians  had  to  bear 
the  full  fury  of  the  storm ;  and  that  so  many  weathered 
it  and  have  safely  reached  "  port,"  is  a  matter  for  great 
thankfulness ;  while  it  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at 
that,  in  the  present  condition  of  the  Church  in  China 
(especially  in  Shan-si,  where  it  is  still  in  its  infancy),  so 
many  were  wrecked,  and  recanted  in  some  form  or  other. 
But  though  wrecked  for  a  time,  we  believe  that  they  are 
still  possible  of  "salvage." 

'  In  the  Hsin-chou  district  of  Shan-si  the  persecution 
began  soon  after  the  flight  of  the  missionaries  for  their 
lives  on  June  29.  Several  of  the  Christians  accompanied 
them,  among  whom  was  Ho  Tsuen-kwei.  He  was  an 
old  man  of  sixty,  and  at  one  time  had  been  part  pro- 
prietor of  a  dyeing  business.  On  his  conversion  he  had 
relinquished  his  share  in  this,  and  accepted  a  com- 
paratively small  salary  to  act  as  helper  to  the  Rev.  J. 
Turner.  He  remained  with  the  missionaries  in  their 
hiding-place  until  about  July  13,  when  he  was  sent  by 
them  to  ascertain  how  matters  were  east  of  Hsin-chou, 
and  to  see  if  it  were  possible  to  get  to  the  coast  that 
way. 

"  On  nearing  Hsin-chou,  he  called  at  the  village  where 
his  sister  lived,  and  was  there  arrested  by  the  local  Boxers 
— ^just  a  few  lads  in  their  teens.  By  them  he  was  taken 
to  the  town  and  handed  over  to  the  local  official,  Li 
Tsuen-kwang,  who  at  once  put  him  in  handcuffs.  The 
next  day  this  official  examined   Ho,  and  tried  to  find 


*  You'll  soon  be  in  Heaven'        369 

out  from  him  where  the  missionaries  were  hiding;  but 
he  refused  to  tell.  This  made  the  magistrate  very 
angry,  and  he  ordered  him  to  be  beaten  with  the  bamboo. 
He  still  refused  to  say  where  the  foreigners  had  gone, 
and  while  being  beaten  the  underlings  of  the  Yamen  and 
bystanders  ridiculed  him,  saying,  "  Doesn't  it  hurt  ? " 
"  You'll  soon  be  in  heaven."  He  was  beaten  with  over 
one  thousand  strokes,  and  then,  when  nearly  insensible, 
was  thrown  into  prison,  still  wearing  his  handcuffs  ;  and 
in  addition  his  feet  were  put  in  wooden  stocks.  Another 
Christian  happened  to  be  in  prison  at  the  time,  and 
attended  to  his  few  wants,  but  he  was  only  able  to  take  a 
little  water,  and  on  the  fourth  day  death  happily  put  an 
end  to  his  sufferings.  He  was  the  first  martyr — as  he 
had  been  one  of  the  first  converts — in  Hsin-chou. 

*  Ans-hsu-ken,  aged  fifty,  and  Chang-ling-wang,  aged 
sixteen,  also  retreated  with  the  missionaries  to  their  hiding- 
place.  The  latter  was  not  a  church  member,  but  had 
acted  for  some  time  as  a  servant  to  Miss  Renault. 
These  two  were  advised  to  return  home,  as  the  provisions 
of  the  party  were  diminishing,  and  there  was  little  or  no 
prospect  of  their  being  replenished.  They  started  on 
their  journey,  but  had  not  gone  far  before  being  arrested 
and  examined  by  Boxers.  It  was  soon  found  out  who 
they  were,  and  they  were  both  condemned  to  death. 
The  elder  man  pleaded  for  the  life  of  his  young  com- 
panion, and  begged  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  return. 
But  the  lad  stoutly  refused  to  leave  his  friend,  and 
they  were  both  hacked  to  death  and  their  remains 
burned. 

'  Si-er-mao,  aged  thirty-two,  lived   only  ten  li  from 

Hsin-chou,  and  was  well  known  in  the  neighbourhood  as  a 

Christian,  as  he  was  always  preaching  to  his  heathen 

neighbours.    He  was  therefore  one  of  the  marked  men,  and 

24 


370    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

on  July  13  was  arrested  and  bound  by  the  Boxers  of  his 
own  and  the  neighbouring  villages,  and  taken  to  a  temple, 
where  he  was  ordered  to  kneel  and  kowtow  (knock 
head)  to  the  leader.  This  he  refused  to  do,  saying  he 
was  a  child  of  God,  and  would  not  kneel  to  devils.  This 
made  the  Boxer  chief  very  angry,  and  he  ordered  his 
followers  to  beat  him  with  sticks.  At  once  he  was 
knocked  down,  and  beaten  while  on  the  ground,  but 
still  he  refused  to  kneel.  His  hands  and  feet  were  then 
tied  together  behind  him,  a  pole  passed  through,  and 
slung  in  this  way  he  was  carried  to  the  boundary  of 
two  villages,  and  there  hacked  to  death  with  swords. 
Having  heard  Si  often  speak  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection,  and  fearing  lest  there  might  be  some  truth 
in  it,  and  that  he  might  come  to  life  and  do  them  harm, 
they  cut  across  the  soles  of  his  feet  before  burying  him 
in  a  ditch  that  was  near  at  hand. 

'  On  the  same  day,  Chang-lao,  aged  forty-seven,  and 
Si-wa-yu,  aged  sixty-eight,  were  arrested  and  taken  to 
the  village  temple,  tried,  and  condemned  to  death  unless 
they  would  recant.  This  they  refused  to  do,  and  they 
were  then  taken  to  the  spot  where  Si-er-mao  had  been 
murdered,  and  were  again  urged  to  leave  the  Church. 
They  still  declined  to  do  this,  and  were  immediately 
cut  down  and  killed.  As  a  favour,  their  relatives  were 
allowed  to  take  away  the  remains  for  burial,  but  they 
were  not  interred  in  the  family  graveyard. 

*  A  few  days  after,  Chang-lao's  mother,  aged  seventy, 
and  daughter,  aged  eleven,  found  it  necessary,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  threats  of  the  Boxers,  to  leave  their  home 
and  seek  refuge  with  friends  in  a  village  near  by.  But 
no  one  would  take  them  in,  as  they  were  connected  with 
Christians.  At  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do,  they  were 
returning  to  their  own  village  when  they  were  met  by  a 


<  Kill  them  where  Arrested*        371 

band  of  Boxers,  who  arrested  and  took  them  to  their  chief 
in  Hsin-chou  to  ask  for  instructions  as  to  their  fate.  The 
answer  soon  came,  "  Kill  them  where  arrested,"  and  they 
were  accordingly  taken  back  and  murdered  near  their 
own  village. 

*  Cheo-chi-cheng,  aged  thirty,  was  employed  in  a  boot 
shop  in  Hsin-chou.  The  same  day  that  the  missionaries 
fled,  he  took  his  wife  and  child  to  his  mother-in-law's 
village  for  safety.  Not  long  after,  he  was  arrested  there 
by  the  local  Boxers,  and  beaten  till  he  was  insensible. 
They  then  searched  his  clothes,  and,  finding  that  he  had 
on  his  person  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  decided  to 
burn  him.  For  this  purpose  they  made  every  family  in 
the  village  contribute  a  bundle  of  millet  stalks,  with 
which  the  fire  was  made,  and  he  was  thrown  on  and 
burned  to  death. 

*  Wang  Cheng-pang,  aged  fifty,  was  well  known  as  a 
Christian,  so,  when  the  trouble  broke  out,  he  had  to  flee 
with  his  wife  and  family.  He  took  them  to  a  waste 
place  in  the  open  country,  and  then,  thinking  they  would 
be  safer  if  he  were  not  there,  left  them  with  the  intention 
of  going  to  a  distance.  But  before  he  had  gone  very  far 
he  was  recognised  by  some  men  of  a  neighbouring  village 
who  were  watching  their  crops,  and  they  immediately 
set  upon  him  with  stones,  and  beat  him  till  he  was 
insensible.  Finding  that  he  was  not  dead,  they  then 
knocked  out  his  brains  with  their  reaping-hooks.  No 
other  member  of  his  family  was  injured,  as  they  all  man- 
aged in  one  way  or  another  to  escape. 

'  When  the  missionaries  fled  on  June  9,  they  rested 
at  noon  at  the  house  of  a  Christian  named  Chang-Chih- 
kweh,  aged  fifty-three,  who  welcomed  them  warmly,  and 
did  all  he  could  for  them.  A  few  days  after,  when  they  were 
settled  in  their   cave,  he  went   to   visit   them,  but  was 


372    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

arrested  on  his  way  by  the  villagers  of  Chia-chwang,  who 
long  before  the  Boxer  outbreak  had  been  the  bitter 
opponents  of  their  Christian  neighbours,  because  they 
would  not  subscribe  towards  the  local  theatricals  or  the 
upkeep  of  the  temples.  That  same  day  the  Boxers  from 
Hsin-chou  arrived  at  the  village  on  their  way  to  seek 
the  hiding-place  of  the  foreigners,  and  demanded  that 
Chang  should  be  their  guide.  But  he  stoutly  refused  to 
show  them  the  way,  even  though  he  was  threatened  with 
death.  His  persistent  refusal  so  angered  them  that  they 
set  upon  him  with  swords  and  sticks,  and  he  was  slowly 
done  to  death. 

*  One  of  the  saddest,  and  yet  perhaps  brightest,  cases 
is  that  of  Chao-hsi-mao,  aged  thirty,  his  mother,  aged  fifty- 
seven,  sister,  aged  thirty-six,  and  wife,  only  nineteen  years 
old.  Being  a  prominent  and  well-known  Christian,  he 
was  advised  by  his  friends  to  leave  his  own  village  and  flee. 
This  he  refused  to  do,  and  in  July  all  four  members  were 
arrested  by  the  Boxers,  and  their  house  and  all  their  be- 
longings burned.  They  were  then  bound,  and  taken  on  a 
cart  to  the  Boxer  chief  at  Hsin-chou  to  ask  for  instructions. 
He  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  see  them  ;  take  them  back  and 
kill  them  where  arrested."  While  on  their  way  back, 
they  all  joined  in  singing  the  hymn,  "  He  leadeth  me." 
Arrived  at  a  vacant  spot  outside  their  own  village,  they 
were  taken  down  from  the  cart,  and  the  man  was  first 
beheaded  with  the  huge  knife  generally  used  for  cutting 
straw.  Still  the  women  would  not  recant,  and  the  old 
mother  said,  "  You  have  killed  my  son ;  you  can  now  kill 
me,"  and  she  too  was  beheaded.  The  other  two  were 
still  steadfast,  and  the  sister  said,  "My  brother  and 
mother  are  dead ;  kill  me  too."  After  her  death,  there 
was  only  the  young  wife  left,  and  she  said,  "  You  have 
killed  my  husband,  mother,  and  sister-in-law ;  what  have 


'Valiant  Saints'  2>1?> 

I  to  live  for?      Take  my  life  as  well."     Thus  all  four 
sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

*  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  fifteen,  one  other  was 
killed  by  falling  over  a  precipice  while  fleeing  from  the 
Boxers,  so  that  Hsin-chou  has  now  the  honour  of  pos- 
sessing a  martyr-roll  of  sixteen  "  valiant  saints." 

'  The  next  station  north  of  Hsin-chou  is  Kwo-hsien, 
but  here  only  one  man,  Chang-kwei,  aged  twenty-nine, 
was  killed,  so  far  as  known.  Though  only  an  inquirer, 
he  was  evidently  well  known  as  a  Christian,  and  was 
sought  for  by  the  Boxers.  He  managed  to  escape  from 
his  own  village,  but  was  caught  in  a  neighbouring  one, 
and  at  once  killed. 

*  Forty  li  north  of  Kwo-hsien  is  Tai-chou,  and  the 
number  of  Christians  killed  there  would  have  been 
much  greater,  had  it  not  been  for  the  energetic  action  of 
the  Men-shang  (attendant)  of  the  local  official.  Among 
those  who  suffered  was  the  mother  of  Chen-Chih-tao, 
aged  fifty.  When  the  Boxers  rose,  the  whole  family 
had  to  scatter,  but  the  mother,  not  being  able  to  go  far, 
was  the  first  one  to  be  found,  and  she  was  discovered  in 
a  neighbouring  temple  where  she  was  hiding.  At  once 
the  Boxers  set  upon  her  with  swords,  and  hacked  her 
to  death.  Soon  after,  Chen-Chih-tao,  his  father  and 
brother,  were  found  and  taken  to  the  same  temple.  To 
prevent  their  running  away,  the  soles  of  their  feet  were 
burned  with  hot  irons,  and  then  they  were  taken  in  a 
cart  to  Tai-chou,  where  they  were  to  be  tried  by  the 
Boxer  chief 

*The  Men-shang  having  heard  of  what  was  taking 
place,  waited  till  they  were  passing  the  Yamen,  and 
then  rushed  out  with  Yamen  runners,  rescued  the  three 
men,  and  kept  them  in  the  Yamen  till  the  trouble  had 
blown  over.     In  this  way  this  man   saved  the  lives  of 


374    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

more  than  ten  Christians,  himself  undertaking  the 
responsibility,  as  his  chief  appears  to  have  been  a  man 
without  any  stamina.  In  all  the  accounts  received, 
nothing  is  more  evident  than  that  the  local  officials  could 
protect  the  Christians  when  they  wished  ;  and  that  when 
they  presented  a  bold  front  to  the  Boxers,  these  braggarts 
and  cowards  were  easily  overawed. 

*  In  the  case  of  Wang-shih,  aged  fifty,  who  was  only 
an  inquirer,  the  Men-shang  was  unable  to  interfere,  as 
the  father  of  his  accuser  was  a  well-to-do  man  with  some 
local  influence.  As  early  as  July  3,  Wang-shih  was 
attacked  in  his  own  house,  and  one  of  his  hands  severely 
injured.  He  was  taken  to  the  official,  and  accused  of 
injuring  his  neighbours.  The  official  asked  what  evi- 
dence they  had  to  produce,  and  one  man  at  once  spoke 
up  and  said,  "  My  illness  has  been  caused  by  him,  and 
unless  he  is  killed  I  cannot  get  better."  The  magistrate 
then  asked  Wang-shih  by  what  methods  he  injured 
people  and  made  them  sick,  but  he  did  not  make  any 
reply.  He  was  then  ordered  to  be  beaten  several 
hundred  blows  with  the  bamboo,  and  after  being  beaten 
was  being  led  away  to  prison  to  await  further  evidence, 
when  the  Boxers  suddenly  rushed  upon  him,  and, 
dragging  him  away  from  the  Yamen  runners,  took  him 
outside  the  city  to  kill  him.  Arrived  outside  the  east 
gate,  he  was  first  set  upon  by  the  would-be  sick  man, 
who  thrust  him  through  with  a  sword.  The  whole 
crowd  of  Boxers  then  attacked  him,  and  he  was  cut  to 
pieces. 

'  The  terror  in  which  even  the  people  connected  with 
Christians  lived  during  the  time  the  Boxer  power  was 
at  its  height,  is  illustrated  by  the  case  of  Cheng-feng-hsi, 
aged  forty-seven.  He  was  part  proprietor  of  a  shop  in  the 
city  of  Tai-chou,  and,  fearing  lest  he  should  be  arrested, 


*The  Noble  Army  of  Martyrs'      375 

he  attempted  to  escape,  climbing  over  a  wall.  Unfortun- 
ately, he  fell  and  broke  his  leg,  and  was  carried  back 
by  his  assistants  to  the  shop.  His  partners,  fearing  it 
should  be  known  that  they  had  a  Christian  there,  urged 
him  to  poison  himself  by  taking  opium.  This  at  first 
he  firmly  refused  to  do,  saying,  "  If  you  don't  want  me 
here,  hand  me  over  to  the  magistrate,  or  even  to  the 
Boxers  themselves."  But  they  were  too  much  afraid  to 
adopt  either  of  these  plans,  and  finally  either  poisoned 
him  or  else  compelled  him  to  commit  suicide  by  taking 

opium. 

'  In  a  village  not  far  from  the  city  lived  Tso-hung 
and  his  family.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  persecution 
they  all  had  to  flee,  and  scattered  in  various  directions. 
His  wife,  mother  aged  ninety,  and  daughter  aged  ten,  hid 
in  an  old  graveyard,  but  were  found  by  the  Boxers,  who 
were  going  to  kill  them,  when  some  friend  rushed  to  the 
city  and  informed  the  Men-shang.  Without  waiting  for 
his  horse,  he  immediately  went  out  with  his  attendants 
on  foot,  rescued  the  three  women,  and  arrested  the 
Boxer  leader.  Unfortunately,  the  little  girl  had  been 
so  injured  by  the  harsh  treatment  she  received  at  the 
hands  of  the  Boxers,  that  she  died  soon  after,  raising 
the  martyr-roll  of  Tai-chou  to  four. 

'  Fan-si-hsien  is  a  small  town  one  hundred  and 
thirty  li  to  the  north-west  of  Tai-chou,  and  the  events 
which  happened  there  afford  further  evidence  of  the 
influence  of  local  officials,  and  their  power  either  to 
protect  the  Christians  or  to  leave  them  to  the  mercy  of 
the  Boxers.  Missionary  work  has  only  been  carried 
on  in  this  town  some  four  or  five  years— a  missionary 
perhaps  visiting  it  once  a  year.  There  were  already 
quite  a  number  of  inquirers,  who,  though  not  bap- 
tized,  were   recognised   by  their  neighbours  as    Chris-- 


Z'jG    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

tians.  A  small  house  had  been  rented  as  a  chapel, 
and  an  evangelist  placed  in  charge.  On  Sunday,  July  i, 
a  number  met  for  worship  as  usual,  notwithstanding 
the  drilling  of  the  Boxers  and  the  many  wild  rumours. 
The  evangelist,  Chao-yung-yao,  had  previously  been 
advised  to  leave  and  go  to  his  home,  but  he  said  he  had 
been  appointed  to  that  station  and  would  not  desert  his 
post.  As  things  became  more  threatening,  he  even  sent 
in  a  petition  to  the  magistrate,  saying  that,  if  the 
Christians  were  in  fault,  he  was  to  blame,  as  he  had 
taught  them  the  doctrine.  He  asked,  therefore,  that  he 
might  be  punished  in  some  way  to  appease  the  anger  of 
the  people,  and  allow  the  others  to  go  unmolested. 

'  To  this  petition  the  official  gave  no  heed,  and  the 
Boxers  evidently  knew  they  had  a  free  hand,  for  the 
storm  burst  suddenly  on  the  little  band  on  Sunday, 
July  I,  after  their  service.  The  mob  first  attacked  the 
chapel,  breaking  both  the  doors  and  windows,  and  then 
set  the  place  on  fire.  They  then  sought  and  caught  the 
evangelist,  dragged  him  to  the  main  street,  and  there 
beat  him  until  he  was  unconscious.  Regaining  con- 
sciousness, he  attempted  to  rise,  and  was  partially 
kneeling  when  one  cried  out,  "  See,  he  is  praying  even 
now.  Drag  him  to  the  fire."  Immediately  some  of  the 
bystanders  caught  hold  of  him  and  pulled  him  towards 
the  burning  chapel ;  but  he  said,  "  You  need  not  drag 
me;  I  will  go  myself."  He  quietly  walked  to  the 
chapel  and  entered  the  burning  building,  and  almost 
immediately  the  roof  fell  in  ;  death  must  have  been 
instantaneous. 

'  But  the  mob  was  not  satisfied,  and  sought  every- 
where for  the  Christians.  Kao  Chung-tang,  aged  forty- 
four,  was  caught  on  the  street,  beaten  till  nearly  dead, 
and  then  thrown  on  the  smouldering  ruins  of  the  chapel. 


'The  Tender  Mercies  of  the  Wicked '    377 

He  was  still  conscious,  and  after  a  time  begged  the 
bystanders  to  give  him  some  water.  "  Do  you  want  it 
hot  or  cold?"  asked  one  man.  ''See,  I  will  give  you 
some  lukewarm,"  and  then  offered  him  some  wine  to 
drink.  "Others,"  said  he,  "would  not  even  give  you 
that."  Among  all  the  crowd  there  was  not  one  that 
took  pity  on  him,  and  the  poor  fellow  lingered  on  till 

the  next  day. 

'  Hsu-yen,  aged  thirty-six,  and  Li-chung,  aged  thirty- 
two,  were  both  at  the  service  on  that  fateful  Sunday, 
and  when  the  riot  began  fled  outside  the  city,  but 
were  caught,  bound  and  beaten,  brought  back  to  the 
city,   and  thrown  on  to  the  burning  ruins,  where  they 

perished. 

'  Not  content  with  what  had  been  done  in  the  city, 
the  Boxers  then  turned  their  attention  to  the  villages. 
The  home   of  Liu-tsi-hen  was  one  of  the  first  to  be 
attacked,  and  the  house  was  destroyed.    All  the  members 
of  the  family  escaped  for  the  time  being,  the  wife  going 
to  her  mother's  home  in  a  village  near  at  hand.     The 
Boxers  of  that  village,  hearing  ofher  arrival,  immediately 
sought  her,  and  she  had  to  flee  a  second  time,  and  hid 
in  a  field  of  wheat.     There  she  was  found  and  caught, 
and  it  is  said  she  was  stripped  of  all  her  clothing,  and 
bound  and  taken  to  the  city,  her  captors  beating  her  as 
they  went  along.     Arrived  at  the  city,  she  was  thrown 
on  to  the  smouldering  ruins  of  the  chapel,  where  she 
was    left    by    her    tormentors,    who    soon    afterwards 
scattered.     Finding  herself  free,  she  managed  to  creep 
out  of  the  ruins,  and  had  passed  the  city  gate  and  was 
making  her  way  home,  when  she  was  caught  again  by 
the  Boxers,  brought  back,  and  a  second  time  thrown  on 
to  the  ruins.     This  time  they  did  not  leave  her,  and  as 
by  night-time  she  was  not  dead,  they  took  a  cord  and 


^yS    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

strangled  her.  Notwithstanding  all  her  sufferings,  it  is 
said  she  remained  steadfast  to  the  end. 

*  In  another  village,  the  house  of  Kao-lien-teng,  aged 
fifty,  was  attacked  and  burned.  He  himself  was  at  once 
arrested  and  taken  to  the  city,  where  he  was  tried  by 
the  Boxers.  He  was  asked,  "  Why  did  you  enter  the 
Church  ?  "  "  Because  it  was  good."  "  Why,  then,  do  you 
injure  people  ? "  "I  do  harm  to  no  one,"  he  replied. 
"  Well,  if  you  will  leave  this  foreign  sect  and  worship 
Buddha,  we  will  not  harm  you."  To  this  he  made  no 
reply,  and  they  cried  out,  "  This  man  is  not  willing  to 
repent ;  throw  him  into  the  fire."  He  was  then  dragged 
to  the  chapel,  and  thrown  on  to  the  smouldering  ruins 
and  perished.  His  wife  fled,  and  managed  to  reach  her 
sister's  home,  but  was  there  arrested  and  brought  to  the 
city.  She  was  taken  to  the  Yamen,  but  the  official 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  case,  and  she  too 
was  burned  to  death  in  the  same  place  as  her  husband. 
The  eldest  son,  aged  twenty-two,  was  arrested  while 
fleeing,  and  taken  to  his  village  and  burned  in  the  ruins 
of  his  own  house.  His  wife,  aged  nineteen,  fled  and  hid 
in  a  cave,  but  was  found  and  immediately  stabbed,  and 
then  buried  before  she  was  really  dead.  His  second 
son,  aged  fourteen,  fled  from  village  to  village,  pursued 
by  the  Boxers,  and  was  eventually  taken  in  and  pro- 
tected by  an  uncle.  He  was  so  much  frightened,  however, 
that  he  was  never  himself  again,  gradually  wasted 
away,  and  died  in  April  1901.  Thus,  of  this  family  of 
seven,  five  have  laid  down  their  lives  for  the  truth,  and 
the  two  remaining  are  a  girl  of  seven  and  a  boy  of  four. 

'  But  this  does  not  complete  the  tale  of  those  who 
lost  their  lives  on  that  dreadful  day,  July  i.  Two 
brothers,  Yao-Ch'i-heo,  aged  fifty,  and  Yao-Ch'i-wang, 
aged  forty-four,  were  at  the  Christian  service  in  the  city, 


story  of  Wang-hsin  379 

but  managed  to  escape  to  their  own  village.  They  were 
immediately  arrested  by  the  local  Boxers,  their  house 
set  on  fire,  and  the  elder  of  the  two  was  burned  in  his 
own  home.  The  younger  was  taken  to  the  temple  of 
the  god  of  war  in  the  city  to  be  tried  before  a  Boxer 
tribunal.  It  was  at  first  decided  that,  if  he  would 
provide  fifty  swords  for  the  "  cause,"  he  would  be  allowed 
to  go  free  ;  but  thereupon  two  Boxers  kneeled  before 
the  chief,  and  begged  that  he  might  be  at  once  killed, 
"  because  he  had  done  much  mischief."  Their  request 
was  granted,  and  he  was  handed  over  to  their  tender 
mercies.  As  he  was  being  led  along,  he  said,  "  This  is 
the  happiest  day  of  my  life."  This  angered  his  perse- 
cutors all  the  more,  and  as  soon  as  they  reached  the 
outside  of  the  west  gate  they  set  upon  him  with  their 
swords  and  killed  him. 

*  On  that  same  day,  Kao-Chung-tang's  elder  brother, 
Kao-Ye-chung,  aged  fifty-two,  their  mother,  aged  seventy, 
and  a  boy  of  fifteen,  escaped,  and  reached  the  outside  of 
the  city  before  they  were  arrested.  They  were  taken  to 
a  Boxer  chief  at  the  village  of  Li-chia-chwang,  and  he 
was  asked  what  was  to  be  done  to  them.  "  Set  fire  to 
the  house  of  the  Christian  Kao-lien-teng,  and  burn  them 
in  it " ;  and  these  orders  were  instantly  carried  out  to 
the  letter. 

*  Perhaps  the  most  sadly  interesting  case  was  that  of 
Wang-hsin,  aged  thirty-three.  He  was  a  native  of  Fan- 
si,  and  was  well  known  in  the  city  as  having  formerly 
been  a  gambler,  opium-smoker,  and,  in  fact,  a  regular 
"  black-leg."  The  genuineness  of  his  conversion  was 
manifested  by  a  complete  change  of  life,  and  though 
not  baptized,  he  was  entrusted  by  the  missionaries  with 
a  few  books  to  sell,  and  thus  became  equally  well  known 
in  all  the  surrounding  districts  as  a  Christian.     Early  in 


380    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

July,  he  was  arrested  in  the  village  where  he  happened 
to  be,  searched  to  see  if  he  had  any  poison  on  him,  and 
all  his  books  burned.  Not  content  with  this,  his  perse- 
cutors set  upon  him  with  swords,  wounding  him  seri- 
ously. They  then  bound  him,  took  him  to  the  city, 
and  held  a  kind  of  trial  in  front  of  the  military  Yamen. 
Many  of  the  people  said  to  him,  "  We  know  you  were 
formerly  a  bad  character,  but  have  now  reformed ;  only 
leave  the  foreign  sect,  and  you  will  not  be  killed."  He 
replied,  "  I  have  already  left  the  foreign  sect "  (apparently 
referring  to  Buddhism),  "  and  now  follow  the  heavenly 
doctrine,  reverence  the  Supreme  Ruler  (Shang-ti),  be- 
lieve in  Jesus,  and  worship  the  True  God.  How  can 
you  say  I  belong  to  a  foreign  sect?"  It  is  said  that 
he  spoke  quite  a  long  time  to  his  persecutors,  but 
the  Boxer  leader  said,  "  This  man  has  evidently  been 
poisoned  by  the  foreigners ;  what  is  this  he  is  talking 
about?  If  we  do  not  kill  him,  he  will  certainly  do 
mischief."  He  was  immediately  taken  outside  the  west 
gate  of  the  city,  and  there  killed  in  a  most  barbarous 
manner. 

'One  of  the  most  pathetic  cases  was  those  of  the 
sisters-in-law,  wives  of  two  brothers,  Soen-cheng  and 
Soen-hsiu,  who  with  two  children  were  burned  to  death 
in  their  own  house.  Their  homes  were  attacked  on 
July  2,  and  all  had  to  flee,  but  the  two  women  being 
near  the  time  of  their  confinement  were  not  able  to  go 
far.  The  wife  of  the  elder  brother  was  caught  in  a 
neighbouring  village,  taken  to  the  temple,  bound  to  a 
tree,  and  then  beaten.  The  next  day  she  was  taken 
back  to  the  temple  of  her  own  village, — her  own  home 
being  all  in  ruins, — and  there  gave  birth  to  a  child, 
which  was  immediately  killed  by  the  inhuman  monsters. 
A    mock   trial  was   held,  and   she   was   asked,  "  What 


*She  ought  to  be  Burned*         381 

poison  have  you  about  you  with  which  to  do  mischief?" 
She  bravely  replied,  "  We  have  left  the  false  and  turned 
to  the  true ;  the  evil  for  the  good.  How  have  we  done 
any  mischief?  "  The  leader  of  the  Boxers  yelled  out, 
"  She  is  not  telling  the  truth,  and  will  not  leave  the 
foreign  sect.  She  ought  to  be  burned  ! "  At  once  the 
part  of  her  own  home  which  was  not  quite  burned  was 
rekindled,  and  she  and  a  little  boy  of  six,  who  had 
accompanied  her  all  this  time,  were  driven  into  the 
flames  at  the  point  of  the  sword. 

'  The  wife  of  the  younger  brother  was  also  caught, 
taken  back  to  her  own  village,  and  tried  by  the  same 
tribunal.  "  Have  you  scattered  abroad  paper  men  to 
injure  the  people  of  your  village?"  she  was  asked.  She 
replied,  "  It  is  you  who  kill,  burn  houses,  and  do 
mischief,  not  we."  This  made  the  Boxer  leader  very 
angry,  and  he  said,  "  This  woman  ought  to  be  burned 
to  death,"  and  she  and  her  little  boy  of  five  were  both 
driven  into  the  flames  like  her  sister-in  law. 

*  One  other  woman,  who  died  from  injuries  received 
while  fleeing  from  her  persecutors,  raises  the  martyr-roll 
of  the  infant  Church  at  Fan-si  to  twenty-two. 

'The  accounts  of  these  massacres  have  been  given 
both  in  writing  and  verbally,  and  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  they  are  correct.  The  stories  are  unvarnished, 
and  given  as  far  as  possible  in  the  words  of  the  nar- 
rators. That  there  were  not  more  killed  is  probably 
due  to  the  fact  that,  soon  after  July  9,  a  proclamation 
was  issued,  notifying  the  Christians  that  if  they  left 
the  Church  they  should  be  protected.  A  great  number 
availed  themselves  of  this  offer,  and,  having  obtained 
the  certificates  of  protection,  returned  to  their  homes, 
to  find  them  pillaged  and  burned.  But  the  Boxers 
having  tasted  blood,  it  was  difficult  to  restrain  them,  so 


382    Sufferings  of  the  Native  Christians 

on  August  25  another  proclamation  was  issued,  saying 
that  the  authority  to  kill  was  not  with  the  people  or 
even  the  high  officials,  and  after  that  date  if  any  were 
killed  without  cause,  the  murderers  would  be  summarily 
executed.' 


CHAPTER   XIX 

The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao  was  the  first  to  bring  from  the 
province  of  Shan-si  authentic  information  regarding  the 
awful  massacres  of  the  year  1900  in  that  province. 

Mr.  Fei  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  and  a  graduate  of  the  American  Board  Mission 
College  in  T'ung  Chou,  near  Peking,  where  he  learned 
amongst  other  things  to  speak  English.  When  his  college 
course  was  completed,  he  went  to  T'ai  Ku  in  Shan-si,  and 
spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  teaching  one  of  the  Mission 
schools  there.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Fen  Chou  Fu, 
and  was  associated  with  the  missionaries  of  the 
American  Board  working  in  that  city,  principally  as 
assistant  to  Mr.  Price  in  the  boys'  school  there.  He  was 
with  the  missionaries  during  all  the  hazardous  time 
preceding  and  almost  up  to  the  time  of  their  death,  and 
it  was  only  after  urgent  representations  that  he  was 
persuaded  at  last  to  fly  for  his  life  and  bring  the  news, 
which  was,  alas  !  subsequently  only  too  fully  confirmed. 

The  story  of  his  flight  is  thus  told  by  Mrs.  A.  H. 
Smith : — 

'  As  Mr.  Fei  was  riding  along  in  the  back  of  the 
cart  along  with  the  missionaries  from  Fen  Chou  Fu, 
he  noticed  a  Chinese  soldier  eyeing  him  intently.  He 
inquired  where  Fei's  home  was,  and  on  learning  that  it 

383 


384     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

was  T'ung  Chou,  he  remarked,  "  Just  ride  this  horse  and 
you  will  soon  get  there,"  meaning  that  he  would  ride  to 
certain  death,  and  then  his  soul  would  revert  to  his 
ancestral  home,  but  Fei  did  not  take  it  in.  Later  he 
said,  "  Such  a  pity  for  one  so  young  as  you  to  be 
bewitched  and  follow  foreigners."  Another  man  wanted 
Mr.  Fei's  boots,  but  when  he  objected  a  third  said, 
"  Never  mind  taking  them  from  him  ;  they  will  be  ours 
in  a  little  while  any  way."  Later,  a  fourth  said  plainly, 
"  Escape  for  your  life !  We  are  about  to  kill  the 
foreigners  !  "  About  a  mile  ahead  was  a  village  where 
twenty  soldiers  were  waiting  to  kill  them  all. 

*  At  this  place  he  took  his  last  look  at  the  kind  faces 
and  left.  No  words  were  possible  in  the  presence  of 
the  guard,  but  he  thinks  they  saw  him  go.  When  he 
had  gone  a  short  distance  the  soldiers  stopped  him, 
and  wanted  his  money.  He  protested  he  had  only 
enough  for  his  journey,  but  gave  them  his  watch.  One 
took  his  boots  and  gave  him  instead  a  wretched  old  pair 
of  shoes,  much  worn  and  far  too  small.  He  went  on 
farther,  but  they  still  pursued  him ;  one  seized  his  queue 
and  one  held  an  arm,  while  they  took  his  silver,  all  but 
one  ounce,  left  at  his  pleading.  About  a  mile  from  the 
village  he  heard  shots  fired.  The  day  was  very  hot,  and 
he  suffered  from  violent  bleeding  at  the  nose,  but  at  dark 
he  arrived  at  Ping  Yao  Hsien,  whither  he  went  because 
the  foreigners  were  to  have  been  sent  there,  and  he  had 
a  faint  hope  they  were  still  living.  His  clothes  had  been 
taken  from  him,  and  he  wore  only  a  small  jacket. 
When  he  thought  it  over,  it  was  a  sorry  outlook  :  he  had 
lost  his  foreign  friends.  His  relatives  in  Shan-si  he 
supposed  to  be  dead.  His  immediate  family  were  in 
T'ung  Chou,  hundreds  of  miles  away.  He  had  no  clothes, 
no  bedding,  and  almost  no  money. 


LI  PAI. 
WANG  HSI  YO. 
WAXG  PAO  T'AI. 


WANG  MING. 
J.  P.  BKUCE. 


FEI    CHI    HAO. 

NICH   T'UNGNGAN. 
WUCHIEN    CH'ENG. 


[Sec  pp.  359  and  383. 


Returns  to  Fen  Chou  Fu         385 

*  On  the  second  day  he  decided  to  return  to  Fen 
Chou  Fu,  to  learn  with  certainty  the  fate  of  his  friends, 
and  get  a  h'ttle  money  for  his  journey.  A  cart  was 
going;  he  cnanged  his  one  ounce  of  silver  and  paid 
the  man  four  hundred  cash.  When  they  had  made 
half  the  journey  they  stopped  at  an  inn,  that  the 
animals  might  rest.  Here  he  learned  details  more 
than  enough.  Mr.  Fei  was  sorely  perplexed  and 
troubled,  and  thought  of  leaving  the  cart  and  running 
away.  Finally,  he  prayed  earnestly  for  guidance,  and 
God  showed  him  he  was  to  go  back  to  Fen  Chou  Fu  at 
all  costs.  He  arrived  there  at  8  p.m.,  crept  cautiously 
by  a  back  street  to  the  house  of  a  church  member, 
who  was  startled  enough  at  his  appearance.  Here  he 
learned  more  details.  He  must  move  on.  It  was  a 
dangerous  place  for  a  Christian.  Mr.  Fei's  host,  for  ten 
years  in  service  of  foreigners  as  a  courier,  must  fly  him- 
self. At  daylight  they  left  the  city,  hoping  no  one 
would  recognise  Mr.  Fei.  They  were  startled  by  one 
man's  observing  to  him,  "  I  am  glad  you  got  away. 
They  killed  the  foreigners  ;  you  get  quickly  into  some 
little  village  and  hide."  Going  out  two  miles  he  found 
a  poor  Christian,  who  went  to  a  relative  and  pawned  an 
ornament,  raising  fifteen  hundred  cash,  which  he  gave 
him,  with  an  old  garment  and  his  dinner,  and  then 
hurried  him  away.  He  left  them  cold  with  fright  over 
the  fearful  news  he  brought. 

'  After  two  days  he  arrived  at  T'ai  Ku.  A  teacher, 
Kung,  told  him  the  details.  He  was  not  a  Christian,  but 
had  a  nephew  in  the  T'ung  Chou  College.  He  said  to 
Mr.  Fei,  "  You  have  known  missionaries  for  many  years 
in  T'ung  Chou  and  here.  Tell  me,  if  they  have  done 
nothing  outrageous,  why  all  on  a  sudden  does  every 
one  wish  to  exterminate  them  ?  They  must  have  done 
25 


2,S6     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

some  evil."  To  this  Mr.  Fei  replied,  "  I  have  known 
them  well  and  long,  and  they  have  done  no  wrong. 
You  must  not  judge  things  as  they  appear  now. 
Wait  till  later  on." 

'This  man's  nephew  had  two  letters  in  his  hands 
written  by  the  foreigners.  He  was  in  hiding.  Early  in 
the  troubles  at  T'ai  Ku,  Mr.  Kung  had  written  a  letter  to 
the  Church  urging  them  to  fly  to  the  hills.  Mr.  Clapp  and 
all  the  rest  had  horses  saddled  ready  to  go,  but  teacher 
Liu  had  said,"  I  will  not  fly.  Outside  everywhere  there  are 
Boxers,  and  God  can  take  care  of  us  as  well  in  one  place 
as  another.  I  shall  stay  and  die  here."  So  they  all  gave 
up.  Teacher  Kung  said  to  Mr.  Fei,  "  Don't  be  bewitched 
any  longer.  Leave  the  foreigners,  come  back  and  wor- 
ship your  own  gods,  for  you  can  see  for  yourself,  after 
what  has  happened,  that  it  is  they  that  have  the  real 
power." 

'  Mr.  Fei  was  too  dismayed  and  heartsick  to  talk  to 
him  more,  but  implored  help  to  leave.  Mr.  Kung  was  well 
off;  had  four  or  five  servants.  He,  his  mother  and  wife, 
smoked  several  hundred  taels'  worth  of  opium  a  year. 
He  gave  Mr.  Fei  fifteen  hundred  cash  and  an  old 
garment.  Later  that  day  he  arrived  at  Yu  Tzu  Hsien, 
and  heard  that  a  month  or  more  earlier  the  Boxers  had 
killed  over  a  hundred  church  members  there. 

*At  Sou  Yang  Hsien  he  passed  the  foreign  house 
and  chapel.  Dumb,  silent,  dreary,  and  desolate,  they 
stood,  windowless,  doorless,  and  a  donkey  was  tied 
within  God's  house.  The  missionaries  had  gone  to 
Tai-yuan-fu. 

'  Mr.  Fei  could  not  understand  the  wonderful  strength 
that  came  to  him  on  this  journey ;  such  as  he  had  never 
known  before.  On  the  difficult  mountain  road  he  was 
able  to  do  over  thirty  miles  a  day,  and  even  then  it  took 


*  In  Peril  from  his  Countrymen '    387 

him  five  days.  It  was  very  hot  in  the  day,  but  very  cold 
at  night.  He  could  not  lie  down  at  night,  as  he  had  no 
bedding  and  his  legs  grew  cold,  so  he  sat  all  night 
drawn  up  in  a  shivering  heap.  Not  one  familiar  face 
did  he  see.  People  at  the  inns  would  not  keep  a 
suspicious-looking  tramp  who  had  not  an  ounce  of 
baggage.  He  felt,  on  looking  back  on  it,  that  a  thousand 
taels  would  be  no  inducement  to  travel  over  that  road 
again  in  such  a  manner. 

'  When  he  got  to  Huai  Lu  Hsien,  Governor  Yu  Hsien 
and  two  thousand  soldiers  were  there.  He  hoped  much 
to  see  some  China  Inland  missionaries  there,  but  found 
that  the  Governor  had  arrested  the  Green  family  and 
Miss  Gregg  and  sent  them  to  Cheng  Ting  Fu.  Every  day 
as  he  passed  between  Huai  Lu  Hsien  and  Pao  Ting  Fu, 
he  met  countless  hordes  of  Tung  Fu  Hsiang's  troops  and 
other  soldiers,  escaping  after  their  defeat.  They  marched 
along,  looting  all  the  way,  but  poor  Fei  in  his  absolute 
destitution  had  nothing  to  fear.  He  had  nowhere  to 
sleep  or  to  buy  food,  as  the  soldiers  had  seized  all  the 
inns. 

*  At  Cheng  Ting  Fu  the  soldiers  kept  all  the  gates 
closely  barred,  for  fear  of  the  looting,  marauding  hordes 
from  without.  He  waited  an  hour,  then,  there  being  no 
soldiers  about,  the  thirty  civilians  were  allowed  to  enter, 
and  the  gates  were  at  once  closed  again.  He  went  to 
the  large  Catholic  cathedral,  and  found  there  a  bishop, 
three  priests,  five  foreign  sisters,  five  railroad  people,  and 
others ;  in  all  nineteen  foreigners.  The  Catholics  furnished 
him  clothing  and  food,  and  were  exceedingly  kind. 
Among  the  guests  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griffith  and  baby 
and  Mr.  Brown  of  the  C.I.M.  They  spent  two  or  three 
hours  in  earnest,  wistful  talk,  they  sympathising  with 
him.     They  told  him  they  had  been  in  hiding  twenty 


388     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

days ;  a  crowd  of  a  hundred  people  had  mobbed  them  ; 
their  clothing  had  been  taken,  and  all  their  money  except 
five  ounces  of  silver.  They  had  had  fearful  hardships 
in  travelling.  They  had  walked  ten  miles  in  the  middle 
of  the  night.  Mrs.  Griffith  had  been  ill.  Her  husband 
supported  her  as  well  as  he  could,  and  Mr.  Brown 
carried  the  baby.  An  official  had  sent  them  away  on 
carts  to  another  district.  The  official  at  that  place  was 
kind,  and  gave  them  money  and  clothes.  They  were 
finally  sent  to  Cheng  Ting  Fu,  and  the  official  asked  the 
Roman  Catholic  bishop  to  receive  and  care  for  them. 
These  troubles  brought  Protestant  and  Catholic  together, 
there  and  elsewhere,  as  nothing  ever  has  before  in  all 
these  years  in  China. 

'  The  official  would  not  let  Boxers  into  the  city,  but 
they  knew  their  danger  was  not  past.  They  longed 
to  give  Mr.  Fei  letters,  but  did  not  venture,  as  five 
couriers  had  been  killed  near  there.  They  wished  a 
message  to  be  sent  to  an  English  official  of  their  state 
and  danger.  Later,  Mr.  Fei  was  able  to  comply  with  this 
request.  The  bishop  gave  Mr.  Fei  one  thousand  cash. 
Mr.  Brown  wished  that  Mr.  Fei  might  tarry  longer,  but 
duty  pressed,  so  they  shook  hands  and  parted.  That  day, 
besides  his  visit  to  them,  he  travelled  over  thirty  miles, 
and  his  feet  were  made  very  painful  with  blisters. 

*At  Ting  Chou,  fifty  miles  from  Pao  Ting  Fu,  he 
found  the  railway  still  running ;  if  he  had  had  some 
money,  he  could  have  rested  his  tired  feet.  It  was  a  long 
train ;  many  baggage  cars  were  being  used  to  trans- 
port Chinese  soldiers  and  horses  to  Ting  Chou.  Two 
thousand  men  were  said  to  have  come  on  that  train. 
He  trudged  ten  miles  more,  then  boarded  the  cars  and 
offered  a  sum  for  a  ride ;  was  curtly  informed  that  there 
were  no  tickets  and  the  cars  were  run  for  the  army,  and 


Reaches  Pao  Ting  Fu  389 

so  was  put  off.  He  and  the  other  evicted  civilians  each 
crept  stealthily  into  a  different  baggage  car  and  lay 
down.  No  one  noticed  them  till  within  a  few  miles 
of  Pao  Ting  Fu,  where  the  train  stopped  for  some 
trifling  repairs.  There  a  track  -  tender  saw  them, 
demanded  money,  reviled  and  beat  them.  Fei  fled, 
leaving  the  others  in  the  man's  clutches. 

'  Arrived  at  Pao  Ting  Fu,  he  entered  by  the  west 
gate  and  left  by  the  south.  The  city  was  all  in  a  hot 
racket,  swarming  with  defeated  troops  from  Peking.  He 
hired  one-third  of  a  t'sang,  or  compartment,  in  a  boat 
for  eight  hundred  cash.  They  were  so  crowded  that  it 
was  difficult  to  turn  over  at  night,  but  that  had  at  least 
the  advantage  of  making  them  a  little  warmer.  In  Pao 
Ting  Fu  he  went  to  a  shop  to  change  his  remaining 
ounce  of  silver,  and  asked  the  news.  "  The  foreigners 
were  all  killed  and  their  houses  burned."  "  Where  are 
you  from  ? "  "  Shan-si."  "  How  about  the  foreigners 
there  ?  "  "  They  are  all  killed  and  their  houses  burned." 
"  It  was  the  will  of  Heaven,"  said  the  man  complacently. 
"  The  will  of  Heaven,"  echoed  Fei,  but  with  how 
different  a  meaning ! 

'  The  boat  was  loaded  with  defeated  soldiers  and  two 
Boxers.  Whenever  the  boat  stopped  where  there  were 
Boxers,  these  two  got  off,  introduced  themselves,  drank 
tea,  were  well  treated  and  given  a  card  introducing  them 
to  the  next  Boxer  camp.  Very  like  living  over  the 
mouth  of  the  pit  was  that  journey.  They  gambled, 
reviled,  quarrelled,  and  fought.  In  his  compartment  was 
a  soldier,  better  than  the  rest,  and  an  old  man  hunting  for 
his  soldier  son.  Fei  hardly  left  his  retreat  all  the  way,  as 
he  did  not  wish  to  talk  to  any  one.  He  saw  many  boats 
loaded  with  Boxers,  with  their  swords  and  gay  sashes. 
Once  a  great  horde  of  them  came  close  to  him  as  the 


390     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

two  boats  stopped,  but  God  filled  his  heart  with  a  great 
peace.  The  rain  poured  down  day  after  day.  It  leaked 
through  the  boards  and  wetted  them.  He  lay  on  stalks, 
which  cut  into  him  unmercifully. 

*  One  day  it  was  very  cold,  and  they  could  not  go  on, 
and  the  ennui  and  long  suspense  were  unendurable.  He 
stretched  himself  out  wearily,  and,  before  he  thought 
what  he  was  doing,  said  aloud  in  English,  "  Oh  dear, 
dear  !  "  He  quaked  with  apprehension,  but  no  one  had 
heard  him.  Boats  dared  not  go  below  Tu  Liu.  There 
he  hired  a  little  boat  for  two  hundred  cash,  the  very  last 
money  he  had,  as  there  were  two  days  they  could  not 
travel,  and,  alas !  he  had  to  eat  whether  it  rained  or  not. 
The  last  day  he  had  nothing  to  eat.  He  longed  to 
snatch  something  as  others  were  eating,  but  controlled 
himself  and  refrained. 

'  He  arrived  at  Tien-tsin  just  before  the  gates  closed, 
just  fifteen  days  from  Fen  Chou  Fu.  He  saw  French 
soldiers,  Russians,  Sikhs,  Japanese,  and  at  last  an 
American,  who  took  him  to  his  captain.  He  was  a  kind 
man,  and  made  him  sit  down  to  tell  his  story.  He 
showed  the  officer  his  bit  of  blue  cloth,^  and  told  his  sad 
tale.  The  thoughtful  officer  ordered  rice  and  bread,  and 
he  had  a  full  meal  at  last.  Four  soldiers  then  took  him 
to  three  officials  in  the  Yamen  outside  the  city,  where 
the  weary  soul  was  kept  standing  two  hours  answering 
questions.  At  eleven  o'clock,  wearied  out  and  longing 
to  go  to  bed,  he  was  taken  down  Tzu  Chu  Liu,  three 
miles  farther,  with  a  soldier.  At  twelve  o'clock  at  night 
he  faced  a  British  officer  there,  who  humanely  dismissed 
him  to  bed.  It  was  well  for  him  that  he  had  walked  the 
three  miles,  for  kind  Mr.  Dickinson  was  the  host  of  this 

^A  piece  of  cloth  given  him  by  Mr.  Price,  with  the  words  written  in 
blood,  '  What  this  man  says  is  true.^ 


In  Safety  at  Tien-tsin  391 

official.  He  made  such  a  bed  of  nice  clean  blankets  and 
wraps  that  Mr.  Fei  felt  as  if  he  was  in  heaven.  Next 
day  Mr.  Tenny  and  Dr.  Porter  and  Mrs.  Smith  of 
the  Tien-tsin  Times  had  a  long  interview,  and  wrote 
down  what  he  said,  but  made  him  sit  and  treated  him  as 
a  friend.  As  he  was  ragged  and  forlorn  and  without 
stockings,  he  ventured  to  ask  his  kind  host  for  a  little 
help,  hoping  for  a  dollar  or  two.  What  were  his  surprise 
and  joy  to  be  given  twenty  dollars  !  The  English  Consul 
questioned  him  for  an  hour.  An  English  official  wished 
him  to  go  to  Wei-Hai-Wei  with  him  as  interpreter; 
he  would  receive  $30.00  a  month  and  his  food  and 
clothes ;  but  duty  still  stood  at  the  helm  of  his  barque. 
He  must  not  do  aught  else  until  he  had  learned  the  fate 
of  his  family  at  T'ung  Chou.  He  went  up  to  see  his 
Chinese  friends  at  the  American  Board  Mission.  When 
they  saw  him,  ragged,  dirty,  stockingless,  and  with  long 
hair,  his  schoolmates  and  friends  were  much  moved, 
some  of  them  to  tears.  He  tarried  and  rested  six  or 
seven  days,  then  thought  he  would  seek  his  old  teacher, 
Mr.  Tewksbury,  and  ask  his  advice,  after  attending  to 
his  family  affairs. 

*  He  was  sent  to  T'ung  Chou  on  a  boat  with  a 
military  official,  and  they  were  seven  or  eight  days  on 
the  journey,  as  the  water  was  high  owing  to  the  heavy 
rains  of  the  season.  Mr.  Fei  felt  sure  the  official  was 
not  a  Christian,  for  he  drank  much,  smoked  much, 
kicked  his  Hindu  servant  and  the  boatman,  and  talked 
in  a  yell.  Every  day  at  noon  he  took  some  soldiers, 
left  the  boat,  and  went  off  to  villages  to  loot  whatever 
they  pleased.  Among  these  things  were  three  donkeys, 
one  mule,  three  carts,  some  sheep,  and  a  hundred 
chickens.  At  one  place  they  found  a  rich  old  man. 
Every  one  else  had  fled.     They  demanded  money.     He 


392      The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

said  he  had  none.  They  found  many  swords  and  some 
red  cloth,  and  charged  him  with  being  a  Boxer.  He 
denied,  but  they  shot  him  and  took  all  his  things.  The 
officer  was  very  imperious  to  Mr.  Fei,  calling  "John" 
in  tones  of  thunder  whenever  he  wanted  him.  One 
dark  night  he  made  him  go  a  mile  through  the  mud  and 
overtake  another  boat  to  get  a  plate. 

'  On  nearing  T'ung  Chou,  Mr.  Fei  left  the  boat  and 
eagerly  sought  his  village  home.  He  found  a  desolate 
heap  of  ruins,  and  the  whole  village  deserted.  A  man 
going  out  of  the  back  gate  heard  him,  and  began  to  run. 
His  heart  told  him  it  must  be  his  brother.  He  called 
his  name,  and  the  man  at  once  turned  back,  and  the  two, 
long  parted,  wept  together  a  long  time.  His  brother 
was  in  great  fear.  Once  a  Hindu  had  come  and  im- 
pressed him  to  work,  dragging  him  off  by  the  queue  at 
a  time  when  he  chanced  to  have  no  upper  garment  on. 
He  was  forced  to  pull  a  boat,  a  kind  of  work  he  had 
never  done  before.  It  was  hard  work,  and  the  board  for 
tracking  cut  his  chest  cruelly.  They  would  not  allow 
him  to  come  on  the  boat  to  sleep  nor  warm  himself  by 
the  fire,  and  although  he  had  enough  to  eat  he  was  paid 
nothing  for  his  work. 

'  Mr.  Fei  also  went  to  his  elder  brother's  house.  The 
brother  was  not  at  home  ;  he  had  become  a  Boxer.  All 
the  family  had  fled  in  abject  terror  of  the  frightful 
Hindu  soldiery,  who  impressed  the  men  and  outraged 
the  women,  old  and  young  indiscriminately.  Five 
women  were  killed  because  they  made  some  resistance. 
"  It  was  China's  recompense,"  he  said  sadly,  thinking  of 
what  the  Boxers  had  done  to  foreigners. 

*  His  sister-in-law  was  still  there,  because  she  was 
a  paralytic,  and  could  not  fly.  In  July  the  Chinese 
soldiers    had    killed    one   man   and   looted   everybody. 


Sufferings  of  his  Family  393 

Every  one  ran  away,  her  husband  among  the  rest.     She 
had  no  one  to  give  her  anything  to  eat  or  drink,  so  she 
crept  to  the  river  bank   to   end   her   griefs   there.     A 
Chinese  soldier  exhorted  her  not  to  die,  and  she  thought 
better  of  it,  and  toilfully  went  back  home  again.     After 
three  or  four  days  her  husband  came  back.     She  had 
cried  until  she  could  with  difficulty  see,  and  he  hardly 
recognised  her.     He  tried  to  comfort  her.     He  and  his 
son  brought  her  something  to  eat  in  the  daytime,  but 
for  a  month  they  went  to  a  place  of  safety  four  miles 
away   for   the   night.       Again    and   again    during    her 
agonising  suspense  she  saw  the  dreadful  foreign  soldiers 
come  into  the  yard,  but  the  house  was  little  and  dark 
and  looked  deserted,  and  they  went  away,  never  dis- 
covering her.     She  heard  the  foreign  bugles  and  shots 

fired. 

*  She  was  a  thrifty,  shrewd  housekeeper  once,  and 
managed  well  for  her  husband,  but  had  been  very 
ungrateful  and  undutiful  to  her  kind  mother-in-law,  and 
the  neighbours  saw  in  her  suffering  the  will  of  Heaven. 
She  said,  "  If  my  father  and  mother-in-law  had  lived, 
I  would  not  have  been  left  alone  to  suffer  so."  She 
seemed  much  moved  at  Mr.  Fei's  appearance.  He  told 
them  about  the  sister  in  Shan-si,  and  they  told  him 
that  his  wife's  maternal  grandfather  and  grandmother. 
Christians,  were  killed  by  the  Boxers. 

'  Mrs.  Fei  had  been  a  dull  girl,  and  would  not ''  learn 
the  doctrine "  at  all  when  he  married  her.  She  was  a 
great  burden  on  his  heart.  After  he  got  to  Shan-si, 
after  earnest  prayer,  even  from  that  great  distance  he 
succeeded  in  getting  her  into  the  Bridgman  School, 
where  her  mind  was  awakened  and  she  had  her  feet 
unbound.  He  saw  her  with  the  others  that  night,  but, 
true  to   Chinese  etiquette,  did  not  say  a  word  to  her. 


394     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

How  glad  the  poor  woman  must  have  been  even  to 
see  him  !  The  grandfather  and  mother  who  brought 
her  up  had  been  killed  by  the  Boxers ;  the  kind 
mother-in-law  was  gone,  and  she  was  left  to  the  care 
of  a  termagant  sister-in-law. 

'Before  the  death  of  Mr.  Fei's  father  and  mother, 
the  village  bully,  a  Mr.  Li,  who  was  friendly  with  the 
Feis,  promised  the  son  to  forewarn  him  if  the  Boxers 
came  to  kill  the  old  folks,  so  that  they  might  outwit 
the  Boxers  by  suicide,  and  so  have  a  decent  burial  from 
friends.  The  Boxers  were  very  strict  about  not 
allowing  burial  to  their  victims.  Where  his  wife's 
grandmother  was  killed  in  a  lonely  spot  outside  the 
village,  a  daughter  besought  leave  to  bury  her,  but  was 
sternly  refused,  they  not  even  allowing  her  to  wrap  her 
in  a  mat.  There  were  many  carrion  crows  about,  and 
so  by  and  by  there  was  nothing  but  bones  left,  and 
these  the  dogs  dragged  away  until  not  one  was  left. 

'On  June  19,  the  bully,  Mr.  Li,  sent  word  that  the 
Boxers  would  be  there  early  next  morning,  and  the 
old  folks  must  think  of  some  way  to  die.  Was  there 
ever  so  perplexed  and  sorrowful  a  family  council  in 
all  the  eighteen  provinces  as  that  which  sat  down  to 
determine  how  grandma  and  grandpa  should  end  their 
lives?  The  second  brother  wanted  to  fly  with  them. 
The  elder  brother  and  uncle  said  it  was  no  use ;  they 
were  hemmed  in  everywhere  by  Boxers.  The  uncle 
wanted  to  buy  some  opium  for  them  to  take,  but 
grandma  knew  that  was  a  hard  death,  and  would  not 
go  out  of  life  by  that  door.  One  suggested  that  they 
hang  themselves,  but  the  thoughtful  housemother  said, 
"  No,  that  would  make  the  room  where  we  did  it  for 
ever  unendurable  to  the  rest  of  you ;  we  will  not  do 
that."     She   suggested  that   they  drown  themselves    in 


Sufferings  of  his  Family  395 

a  pit.  In  this  last  sad  family  council  there  were  two 
sons,  three  sons'  wives,  four  granddaughters,  and  two 
grandsons.  Mrs.  Fei  loved  them,  and  thought  also 
tenderly  of  the  absent  boy  in  Shan-si,  whom  she 
supposed  was  dead.  They  could,  perhaps,  live,  for  few 
of  them  were  Christians.  She  thought  of  the  helpless 
ones.  Mr.  Fei's  little  wife,  whom  she  supposed  she 
was  leaving  a  widow,  must  have  a  son.  One  of  the 
other  brothers  must  give  her  one.  The  second  son 
she  charged  to  be  kind  to  his  paralysed  wife.  The 
wife,  remember,  had  been  unfilial  and  ungrateful  to 
her. 

*  The  family  sat  in  tears.  They  could  not  bear  the 
parting,  but  it  had  to  come.  The  night  was  wearing 
away,  and  the  Boxers  came  betimes  on  their  errands. 
The  uncle,  the  eldest  son,  the  bully  Mr.  Li,  the  headman 
or  constable,  and  ten  neighbours  escorted  them.  The 
broken-hearted  father  at  once  ended  the  life  that  had 
grown  so  hopeless.  The  eldest  son  was  so  moved  at 
the  sight,  he  wept  and  would  have  followed  his  father, 
but  the  neighbours  firmly  held  him  back  ;  he  was  not 
a  Christian,  he  need  not  die.  His  mother  sat  thinking 
wistfully  of  her  children,  especially  of  her  "  little 
Benjamin "  in  Shan-si,  so  dear  to  her  mother  heart. 
She  sang  hymn  after  hymn.  At  last  the  uncle  became 
impatient,  fearing  the  Boxers  might  come  and  find  her, 
and  he  pushed  her  in.  Later,  the  neighbours  fished 
out  their  dead  bodies  and  covered  them  with  a  mat. 

'  On  the  bully's  warning,  the  second  brother,  who 
was  a  Christian,  and  his  son,  and  Mr.  Fei's  young 
wife,  hid  in  a  hole  a  day  and  a  night,  with  nothing 
to  eat.  At  daylight  the  dreaded  Boxers  came.  The 
eldest  brother  and  the  neighbours  knocked  their  heads 
on  the  ground  to  them,  and  told  them  the  father  and 


96     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 


mother  were  truly  dead.  Then  the  brother  burned 
incense  and  worshipped  the  Boxers.  They  wished  to 
burn  the  houses,  but  the  neighbours  begged  off,  lest 
their  houses  should  also  catch  fire,  and  helped  the 
Boxers  to  pull  it  down  instead.  Then  all  the  timbers, 
doors,  and  windows  were  hauled  to  the  Boxers'  altar. 
They  either  used  such  things  or  disposed  of  them  as 
they  pleased.  The  uncle,  eldest  brother,  and  the 
neighbours  who  were  his  parents'  warm  friends,  kow- 
towed once  more,  and  begged  for  burial  for  the  old 
folks.  The  request  was  granted.  The  uncle  borrowed 
two  coffins,  and,  promising  to  pay  later,  buried  them  at 
once.  But  the  Boxers  would  not  permit  a  tear  or  a 
sound  of  mourning,  or  a  particle  of  mourning  attire. 
The  family  were  to  maintain  a  cheerful  demeanour,  as 
if  to  show  that  the  deaths  were  just  and  deserved. 
Sympathising  neighbours  wept  in  secret. 

*  While  the  family  told  this  story,  all  four  of  them 
cried  bitterly,  but  Fei's  sister-in-law  stopped  them, 
saying,  "If  the  Boxers  hear  you,  they  will  come  back 
and  kill  us  yet."  It  was  dangerous  to  tarry  there,  as 
the  foreign  soldiers  continually  came  to  this  village 
and  impressed  men  to  work.  The  second  brother  must 
take  them  to  the  village  four  miles  away.  Mr.  Fei 
pitied  his  poor  sister-in-law,  dirty  and  ragged,  with 
bare  feet,  and  begged  that  she  might  go  with  his  wife. 
The  others  said,  "  No  ;  folks  would  not  stand  it  to  have 
six  folks  come."  She  cried  and  begged,  and  Mr.  Fei 
entreated  and  carried  the  day.  They  carried  her  in  a 
basket  part  of  the  way,  and  then  on  their  backs.  The 
elder  brother  was  very  much  emaciated  with  grief  for 
his  father  and  mother,  and  lame  from  a  bruise. 

*  Arrived  at  their  relatives',  they  were  afraid  to  talk 
or  cry,  though  their  hearts  were  so  full.     The  air  was 


He  reaches  Peking  397 

still  murky  with  danger.  He  met  his  aunt  after  his  two 
years'  absence  with  a  brief  word  and  a  silent  obe.sance. 
One  niece,  at  sight  of  him  and  at  thought  of  the  desolate 
home  he  had  found,  wailed  out,  but  her  father  stormed 
at  her  and  she  became  quiet. 

'  The  little  five-year-old  child  of  the  paralytic  woman, 
who  now  saw  her  mother  for  the  first  time  in  a  month, 
cried  bitterly.     At  the  time  that  the  foreign  troops  came 
and  the  family  fled,  this  child  and  two  other  little  girls, 
also  Mr.  Fei's  nieces,  got  lost  and  fled  by  themselves  ten 
miles,  but  were  finally  found  by  their  friends.     As  there 
were  nearly  one  thousand  Boxers  only  two  miles  from 
this  village,  Fei  and  his  second  brother  hurried  on  that 
same  day  to  T'ung  Chou.     He  went  on  to  Peking^n 
company  with  an  official,  to  be  safe  on  the  road.     He 
and  his  brother  were  ordered  to  take  in  charge  a  donkey 
and  four  sheep.     Alas  for  our  poor  college  boy  I     Shep- 
herding was  new  work  to  him.     The  sheep  scampered 
in  various  directions;  he  had  to  haul  them  along.     In 
racing  after  them  he  got  very  wet,   and  whenever  the 
sheep  would  not  go  the  Sikhs  beat  Fei  with  their  guns, 
until   he  actually  cried   with  vexation   and  weariness 
He  asked  God  to  help  him,  and  went  and  besought  the 
official  to  interfere.     He  at  once   put  the   sheep  on  a 
waggon,  and  gave  Mr.  Fei  the  more  docile  donkey  to 
manage     It  seemed  to  him  and  his  brother  that  day, 
^at  although  they  had  escaped  the  Boxers  they  were 
to  die  of  four  sheep  and  a  Sikh. 

■  As  he  came  in  the  Ha  Ta  gate  of  Peking,  heespied 
his  old  friend  and  instructor,  Mr.  Tewksbury,  with  Mr 
Smith  After  he  had  taken  the  donkey  home  he  returned 
to  them,  and  to  his  friends  the  Church  members,  who 
wept  over  him.  At  last  he  had  arrived  '" /  have"  of 
peace,  surrounded  by  those  who   knew  and   loved  his 


398     The  Story  of  Mr.  Fei  Chi  Hao 

lost  ones.  His  wife  was  rescued  and  brought  there. 
After  the  passing  of  this  fierce  storm,  the  white  dove  of 
peace  spreads  her  wings  over  his  life  once  more,  but 
sometimes  such  a  great  tidal  wave  of  sorrow  for  his 
father  and  mother,  and  of  intense  longing  for  them, 
sweeps  over  him,  that,  as  he  says,  "  If  I  were  not  Jesus' 
disciple,  I  should  end  my  life.  But  I  have  a  great  hope. 
As  I  look  back  I  see  how  marvellously  God  preserved 
me.  It  is  like  a  flight  of  terraces.  He  led  me  up  higher 
and  higher,  out  of  that  awful  month-long  night  into  the 
light  of  to-day." 

*  God  did  not  so  wonderfully  save  him  for  naught. 
May  this  preserved  life  accomplish  His  will !  "  Whom 
the  Lord  loveth,  He  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every 
son  whom  He  receiveth."  ' 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

♦  And  when  he  thought  thereon,  he  wept.' 

The   Rev.  J.  P.  Bruce,  B.A.,  of  the   Baptist   Mission, 
Shantung,  has  recorded  the  following  incident  :— 

'While  in  Japan,  in  the  summer  of  1900,  we  heard 
of  the  persecution  that  had  come  like  a  tornado  upon 
our  native  Church.  And  as  we  thought  of  that  Church 
bereft  of  those  on  whom  they  had  been  wont  to 
depend  perhaps  all  too  much,  we  began  to  ask  ourselves 
the  question,  which  doubtless  arose  in  the  hearts  of  many 
of  our  sympathisers  at  home,  "  How  will  the  native 
Christians  stand  ?  " 

*We  could  not  but  fear  for  many,  but  our  hearts 
were  equally  assured  concerning  some,  that  Christ  was 
dearer  to  them  than  life  ;  and  we  said  to  one  another, 
Whatever  others  may  do,  we  can  be  sure  that  the  two 
pastors— Wang  Pao-t'ai  and  Wang  Ming— will  stand 
true.  They  were  men  whose  manifest  spirituality  had 
given  us  great  joy.  It  may  be  imagined,  then,  with  what 
incredulity  we  received  the  news  that  Wang  Ming  and 
Wang  Pao-t'ai  had,  in  the  name  of  the  whole  Ching- 
chou  Fu  Church,  publicly  recanted  !  And  yet  subsequent 
letters  repeated  the  story,  with  the  further  information 
that  all  the  four  pastors  had  taken  this  step,  until  it 
seemed   as   if  there   was   no   further   room  for   doubt. 


399 


400       The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

Gradually  our  incredulity  gave  way  to  sorrow  and 
perplexity.  "  How  can  this  be?  "  was  the  question.  As 
soon  as  I  was  able,  I  returned  to  Chefoo. 

'  When  I  reached  Chefoo,  I  found  that  the  story  was 
confirmed  so  far  as  the  shell  was  concerned,  but  the 
kernel  of  it  was  still  to  be  discovered.  The  mystery — 
for  mystery  it  could  not  but  be — still  needed  explana- 
tion. A  letter  had  been  written  from  Chefoo  to  the 
pastors  about  the  matter,  referring  to  the  report  that 
they  had  led  the  whole  Church  in  a  public  recantation. 
To  this  a  reply  had  been  received,  saying  that  no  one  in 
the  area  concerned  had  recanted  except  four,  and  the 
four  were  the  undersigned,  i,e.  the  pastors  themselves ; 
"  the  sin  was  ours,  and  ours  alone,"  said  they. 

*  In  order  to  be  clearer,  it  may  perhaps  be  better  to 
explain  one  or  two  points  in  connection  with  the  con- 
stitution of  our  Chinese  Church  in  Ching-chou  Fu.  The 
total  membership  is  about  one  thousand  six  hundred  ; 
this  number  being  mostly  composed  of  small  groups 
scattered  over  ninety  stations  in  various  villages  and 
towns  within  a  radius  of  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
from  Ching-chou  Fu.  These  stations  are  grouped  into 
six  pastoral  districts,  under  the  spiritual  oversight  of  four 
native  pastors  and  two  elders,  with  a  missionary  (myself) 
exercising  general  supervision  of  the  whole. 

*  I  felt  that  I  could  not  believe  anything,  still  less 
utter  a  word  of  reproof,  on  the  strength  of  any  reports 
that  reached  us,  or  even  letters  from  the  pastors  them- 
selves. I  wrote  a  private  letter  to  them,  telling  them 
how  almost  impossible  it  was  to  believe  even  what  they 
themselves  had  written ;  that  I,  who  had  known  them 
these  ten  years,  could  not  question  their  love  to  their 
Lord,  nor  their  willingness  to  die  for  Him,  and  begged 
them  not  for  one  moment  to  doubt  my  love  for  them, 


Pastor  Wang  Ming^s  Story        401 

whatever  might  have  occurred.  I  told  them  I  felt  sure 
there  must  be  some  cause  for  their  action  which  I  did 
not  yet  know,  and  finally  asked  them  to  come  to  Chefoo 
as  soon  as  possible,  that  we  might  see  one  another  and 
talk  it  all  over  face  to  face. 

'  They  came  immediately.  Wang  Pao-t'ai's  mother 
was  aged  and  very  ill ;  another  of  the  pastors,  Wu 
Chien-ch'eng,  had  but  recently  lost  his  mother ;  but  on 
receipt  of  my  letter  they  felt  they  could  not  refuse  to 
come  to  see  me,  and  so  I  was  able  to  hear  the  story  from 
their  own  lips. 

'  It  was  as  follows  -.—Shortly  after  the  missionaries 
left,   the   edict    to    exterminate    all   "foreigners"    and 
Christians  was  received  by  the  officials  in  Ching-chou  Fu, 
and  a  proclamation  to  the  same  effect  was  posted  up  in 
the  city.     Pastor  Wang  Ming,  on  receiving  news  of  this 
from  a  school  teacher  who  had  been  into  the  city,  left 
his  village  home,  to  ascertain  for  himself  the  exact  state 
of  affair's.     At  a  neighbouring   village  he  received  the 
intelligence  that  another  proclamation  had  been  issued, 
that,  if  Christians   recanted   and    found    sureties,   they 
would  be  unmolested.     He  also  received  letters,  saying 
that  warrants  were  on  the  point  of  being  issued  for  the 
arrest  of  those  who  refused  to  recant.     Thereupon  Wang 
Ming  went  into  the  city  with  the  object  of  making  what 
arrangements  he  could  for  the  help  of  those  who  might 
be  arrested,  to  see  that  they  were  provided  with  food, 
and   counselled    as   to   their   action.     Subsequently,  he 
learned  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  official  to  arrest 
one  man  from  each  station,  and  force  him  to  recant  on 
behalf  of  all  the  Christians  in  his  Church. 

'  When  he  reached   the  city,  it  was  strongly  urged 
upon  him  that  the  pastors  should  petition  the  officials  to 
allow  the  Christians  to  come  in  of  their  own  accord  and 
26 


402        The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

voluntarily  recant,  Instead  of  under  arrest.  This  would 
prevent  the  families  being  involved  in  suffering.  This, 
Wang  Ming  could  not  agree  to.  From  another  quarter 
he  received  a  message.  It  was  from  one  of  the  heathen 
gentry,  who  for  many  years  had  been  friendly  to  us,  and 
who  now  wrote  offering  his  services,  and  suggesting  that 
the  pastors,  on  behalf  of  the  whole  Church,  should  burn 
incense  to  one  of  the  idols  ;  the  officials  in  consideration 
thereof  to  stay  all  proceedings  against  the  Christians. 
This  also  Wang  Ming  hastened  to  decline,  politely 
but  emphatically.  The  next  day,  an  official  in  the 
magistrate's  Yamen  volunteered  his  good  offices,  and, 
after  various  proposals,  said  if  the  pastors  would  sign 
a  document  undertaking  "  no  longer  to  practise  the 
foreign  religion,"  no  action  would  be  taken  against  the 
Christians. 

'  By  this  time.  Pastor  Wu,  with  General  Deacon 
Wang  Hsi-yo  and  some  Christian  teachers,  were  in  the 
city,  and  they  consulted  together  as  to  what  was  to  be 
done.  Pastor  Wang  Pao-t'ai  (who  was  first  reported  to 
us  as  being  one  of  the  active  participators)  was  at  home 
ill,  but  sent  a  letter  saying  he  would  agree  to  whatever 
the  others  decided  to  do.  Pastor  Nieh  had  been  driven 
out  of  his  home  in  the  neighbouring  county  of  Lin-chih 
by  the  persecution  of  the  magistrate  there,  and  was  gone 
away  into  hiding  among  the  hills.  The  responsibility 
of  decision  therefore  rested  with  the  two  pastors — 
Wang  Ming  and  Wu  Chien-ch'eng — with  the  General 
Deacon  and  the  Christian  teachers  who  were  in  the  city. 

*  Here,  then,  were  the  facts  of  the  situation  :  the  pro- 
clamation ordering  the  extermination  of"  foreigners  "  and 
all  connected  with  them ;  the  second  proclamation  that 
Christians  were  to  be  forced  to  recant ;  warrants  already 
written   to  arrest  one  from  every  station,   opening   the 


Christianity  a  Foreign  Religion     403 

door  to  indiscriminate  looting  and  murder.  Many 
heathen,  eager  for  the  opportunity  of  plundering  with 
impunity,  were  hurrying  in  from  the  country  to  buy  the 
warrants  from  the  police  ;  the  home  of  one  Christian 
had  been  already  looted  and  two  women  servants  killed  ; 
another  Christian  had  been  wounded  so  severely  that 
he  was  not  expected  to  live.  Worst  of  all  was  the 
possibility,  only  too  sadly  real,  that  some  of  the 
Christians  here  as  elsewhere,  unable  to  withstand  the 
fierce  ordeal,  would  recant. 

'  Two  things  ought  to  be  said  here  in  justice  to  our 
brethren.  First,  the  whole  point  of  the  demand^  to 
recant  was  that  they  were  giving  up  a  foreign  religion. 
This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  proclamations 
announcing  the  recantation,  the  expression  used  was 
that  they  had  returned  to  their  position  as  Chinese 
subjects.  Now,  our  brethren  do  not  recognise  the  faith 
they  profess  as  "foreign,"  but  as  from  God,  for  all 
peoples.  This  was  one  element  in  the  subtlety  of  their 
temptation.  The  other  thing  that  ought  to  be  re- 
membered is,  that  there  was  a  way  of  escape  open  to  the 
pastors  personally.  Only  one  member  (the  leader)  was 
to  be  called  in  from  each  station,  and  in  no  case  would 
this  member  be  the  pastor.  They  are  pastors  of  districts, 
not  leaders  of  stations,  and  in  any  case  they  had  sufficient 
warning  to  escape  into  a  district  where  they  would  have 
been  safe.  But  they  felt  that  they  could  not  free  them- 
selves from  the  responsibility ;  that  at  all  costs  they 
must  stand  by  their  people— stand  between  them  and 
the  danger  that  threatened  them. 

*  Here,  then,  was  the  alternative  :  on  the  one  hand,  to 
take  on  themselves  the  disgrace  of  outward  and  nominal 
recantation;  on  the  other,  to  look  upon  the  sufferings 
and  death  or  recantation  of  many  of  their  people.     Was 


404       The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

it  not  better,  they  asked,  that  four  men  should  go 
through  the  form  of  recanting,  and  prevent  this  sin,  this 
suffering  and  loss  of  life  ?  For  the  pastors  were  made  to 
understand  that  it  was  simply  a  form,  a  legal  fiction, 
not  affecting  in  the  least  the  religion  of  their  hearts 
or  of  their  homes,  and  even  thus  it  was  only  to  be  a 
temporary  expedient,  that  the  magistrate  might  have 
a  pretext  for  giving  his  protection  to  the  Christians. 
They  were  not  to  engage  in  any  idolatrous  rite ;  they 
were  not  to  appear  before  the  officials  and  make  any 
public  apostasy,  but  simply  to  sign  the  document  with 
the  one  sentence,  "  No  longer  to  practise  the  foreign 
religion."  "  So  far  from  recanting,"  it  was  urged  upon 
them,  ''you  are  preventing  recanting." 

'  Their  decision  may  be  best  given  in  the  words  of 
Pastor  Wu  Chien-ch'eng:  "When  I  thought  of  these 
people,"  he  said,  his  emotion  being  so  great  that  the 
tears  were  running  down  his  face,  "  in  most  cases  with 
children  and  aged  parents  dependent  upon  them,  and 
thought  of  all  that  was  involved  for  them  if  I  refused  to 
sign  the  paper,  well,  I  couldn't  help  it.  I  decided  to 
take  on  myself  the  shame  and  the  sin." 

'  I  have  told  the  story  as  nearly  as  possible  as  they 
told  it  to  me,  and  have  tried  to  reproduce  the  situation 
as  they  saw  it  at  the  time.  Who  could  listen  to  such  a 
narrative — so  sad  and  painful,  and  yet  not  without  much 
that  was  noble — without  sympathy  and  tears?  One 
could  not  look  into  their  faces  without  pain.  Instead  of 
the  usual  bright,  affectionate,  and  frank  expression,  they 
seemed  to  be  almost  cowed,  and  yet  with  a  half-wistful, 
half-challenging  look,  as  if  to  say,  "  Were  we  not  right 
to  do  wrong  for  such  a  cause  ?  "  But  with  the  pain  there 
was  one  thought  that  gave  comfort.  Though  our 
brethren  had  failed  in  the  hour  of  trial,  they  had  taken 


The  Case  of  the  Pastors 


405 


this  step  not  to  save  themselves,  but  for  the  sake  of 
others. 

'  And  better  than  all  else,  they  had  not  ceased  to 
love  their  Master,  even  though  they  had  outwardly 
denied  Him.  If  only  they  could  realise  how  much  they 
had  wounded  Him,  there  would  not  be  wanting  such 
penitence  as  should  turn  this  failure  into  rich  blessing, 
For  it  was  not  possible  to  be  blind  to  the  fact  that, 
whatever  the  officials  might  say  about  legal  fiction,  and 
however  our  brethren  might  try  to  explain  the  matter  to 
themselves,  they  had  publicly,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
Church,  made  a  formal  renunciation  of  their  religion. 
And  this,  whatever  the  circumstances,  and  whatever  the 
noble  motive,  was  dishonour  to  their  Lord.  To  shut 
one's  eyes  to  this,  and  not  to  mention  it,  was  to  be 
unreal,  and  inevitably  to  do  injury  to  the  very  men  we 
longed  to  help.  I  felt,  therefore,  that  I  dare  not  do 
other  than  frankly  and  faithfully,  though  as  tenderly  and 
lovingly  as  I  could,  point  out  to  them  their  sin,  and 
where  it  seemed  to  me  they  had  erred. 

'  Here  let  me  say  a  word  or  two  as  to  the  point 
of  view  from  which  I  acted.  As  pastors,  elected  and 
supported  by  the  Church,  they  are  responsible  to  the 
Church.  The  question  of  what  the  Church  would  do  was 
one  for  the  further  consideration  of  the  Church  itself. 
But  the  affectionate  intercourse  of  years  made  me 
anxious  to  counsel  them  from  the  point  of  view  of  their 
own  heart-relationship  to  their  Lord,  as  I  would  wish 
some  brother  in  Christ  to  counsel  me  in  like  circum- 
stances. Our  brethren  had  a  load  on  their  hearts,  a 
sense  of  disgrace,  an  agony  of  doubt  as  to  their  action. 
What  did  they  need,  that  the  load  might  be  lifted,  and 
peace  and  joy  fill  the  heart  once  more?  So  far  as  I 
have  learned  from  the  Word  of  God  and  the  experience 


4o6       The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

of  my  own  heart,  there  was  only  one  way :  let  them 
realise  their  sin  as  sin,  not  exaggerating  it,  yet  not 
minimising  it.  Let  them  with  real  sorrow  confess  it  to 
God,  and  the  consciousness  of  His  forgiveness  and  love 
would  fill  them  with  peace  and  joy,  such  as  whatever 
they  might  suffer  at  the  hands  of  others  could  not  lessen. 
If  they  were  conscious  of  being  right  with  God,  it  would 
matter  little  to  them  what  others  thought,  said,  or  did. 
This  was  my  one  desire.  As  for  their  responsibility  to 
the  Church,  I  knew  that,  once  they  were  brought  into  a 
right  relationship  with  God  in  the  matter,  they  would 
find  it  easy  enough  to  do  anything  their  consciences 
dictated  in  that  direction.  But  the  first  and  foremost 
necessity  was  that,  in  the  secret  of  their  own  hearts, 
they  should  realise  what  they  had  done,  not  as  bring- 
ing disgrace  on  the  Church,  not  as  something  that 
their  teachers  the  missionaries  condemned,  but  as  sin 
against  their  Lord.  "Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have 
I  sinned." 

*  But  this  would  come  about,  not  by  any  arguments 
of  mine,  but  by  the  gracious  influence  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  and  the  teaching  of  God's  Word.  So  I  determined 
that  all  our  talk  should  be  with  the  Scriptures  before 
us,  and  at  our  Master's  feet.  Day  by  day  we  met  for 
prayer  and  Bible  study.  The  passages  chosen  were  not 
such  as  the  story  of  Peter's  denial.  I  rather  desired  to 
draw  their  minds  away  from  that  aspect  of  it  for  a  time, 
and,  avoiding  ready-made  expressions,  such  as  recanting, 
denial  of  Christ,  get  below  the  surface  to  the  heart  of 
what  was  involved  in  their  action — call  it  by  whatever 
name  you  like — and  to  realise  something  of  the  purposes 
of  God  in  what  seemed  to  them  so  dark  and  inscrutable. 
So  we  studied  such  passages  as  the  eleventh  chapter  of 
Hebrews,  Romans  the  eighth  chapter,  and  those  parts  of 


Grief  over  their  Weakness        407 

Revelation  which  present,  in  a  panorama  of  visions,  the 
sufferings  and  victory  of  God's  Church. 

*  It  was  not  long  before  they  began  to  realise  that 
God  had  His  purpose,  a  purpose  of  infinite  love,  in  the 
sufferings  of  His  people,  hard  as  it  was  to  understand 
and  harrowing  to  look  upon ;  and  that  there  were  times 
when,  if  God  spared  them  physical  suffering,  it  would  be 
to  rob  them  of  spiritual  blessing.  We  talked  of  the 
persecutions  of  past  ages,  and  what  they  had  done  for 
the  Church ;  of  how  the  story  of  those  martyred  ones  in 
Shan-si  would  go  down  from  generation  to  generation  ; 
would  become  a  household  word  in  Christian  homes, 
and  enter  into  the  bone  and  marrow  of  Christian 
character,  as  the  story  of  Ridley  and  Latimer  had  done 
in  England.  As  they  came  to  realise  this  element  in 
God's  purposes,  they  began  to  see  what  their  conduct 
involved.  When  we  were  reading  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  Wang  Ming  said  he  now 
saw  that,  when  they  tried  to  save  the  people  by  recanta- 
tion, they  had  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  persecution,  and 
even  death,  could  not  separate  them  from  Christ's  love. 

*  Of  course  there  were  other  aspects  of  their  conduct 
which  we  talked  of  freely,  but  this  seemed  to  take  hold 
of  them  most  forcibly.  They  saw  clearly  that  cheir 
recantation  implied  want  of  faith  in  Christ's  love  of 
His  people,  as  well  as  in  His  power  to  save  them,  as 
though  there  were  no  other  way  in  which  He  could 
protect  His  flock  than  for  these  His  servants  to  publicly 
dishonour  Him,  or  that  if  He  did  not  deliver  His  people 
it  meant  that  He  had  forsaken  them,  and  that  His  love 
had  failed  them.  There  was  now  no  avoidance  of  the 
word  "  recant "  or  "  deny."  Again  and  again  in  prayer, 
with  voices  broken  with  emotion,  they  made  confession  of 
their  sin  to  their  Heavenly  Father. 


4o8       The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

'  Later,  when  speaking  of  what  they  could  do  to 
counteract  the  ill  effects  of  their  conduct,  they  said  that 
one  thing  they  could  and  would  do :  they  would,  in 
every  station,  confess  the  sin  of  what  they  had  done  as 
against  their  brethren  as  well  as  against  their  Lord. 

*  It  was  a  matter  of  deep  thankfulness  to  see  the 
manifest  working  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  in  them,  both 
in  their  penitent  grief  and  in  their  growing  joy  of 
forgiveness.  But  there  was  one  thing  on  my  mind 
which  I  hesitated  for  some  days  to  speak  of.  I  felt 
that,  whatever  the  Church  might  ultimately  decide  to  do, 
it  would  be  for  the  pastors'  own  peace  of  mind  to  resign 
their  position,  and  so  put  themselves  right  with  their 
brethren.  I  had  hoped  that  they  themselves  would 
think  of  this,  but  the  time  had  nearly  come  for  them  to 
return,  and  they  had  said  nothing.  I  felt  sure,  from 
their  whole  demeanour,  that  it  was  not  because  they 
shrank  from  such  a  step, — that  it  must  be  because, 
inexperienced  in  some  things  which  are  familiar  to  us 
in  the  West,  it  had  not  occurred  to  them.  I  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  anything  remaining  between  us  that 
was  not  frankly  stated.  I  therefore  told  them  what  I 
felt,  a  morning  or  two  before  they  left,  explaining  that  I 
spoke  not  as  having  authority,  but  simply  as  a  friend, 
and  as  I  would  wish  a  friend  to  speak  to  me ;  nor  was 
it,  I  told  them,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Church,  but 
from  their  own  point  of  view,  and  because  I  desired 
there  should  be  nothing  to  hinder  their  perfect  peace. 

'  To  my  surprise,  instead  of  a  shadow  of  pain  over- 
clouding their  faces,  those  of  Wang  Pao-t'ai  and  Wu 
Chien-ch'eng  immediately  lighted  up,  with  evident  eager- 
ness to  speak.  And  then  they  told  me  that  for  days 
they  had  felt  in  the  same  way  as  I,  but  had  hesitated  to 
speak,  not  feeling  sure  what  was  the  right  thing  to  do. 


Submission  to  the  Church  409 

Wang  Ming  then  took   a  letter  from  his  pocket  and 
handed  it  to   me,  saying  that,  like  the  others,  he  had 
several  days  before  felt   that,  though   I  had  not  said 
any  word  of  condemnation,  he  felt  self-condemned,  and 
that  the  fault  was  one  that,  in  the  highest  interests  of 
the  Church  in  other  parts  of  China,  as  well  as  m  Chmg- 
chou  Fu,  ought  not  to  be  passed  over.     Fearmg  that 
to   say   this   personally   would  give    me   pam,   he  had 
written  it  in  a  letter.     The  decided  manner  in  which 
he  spoke  made  me  ask   the   question.  Did  they  mean 
that,  from  that  time,  they  would  cease  to  act  as  pastors, 
no  matter  what  the  Church  might  decide  ?    They  replied, 
No ;  in  the  present  state  of  things,  they  must  continue 
to  act   until   the   troubles   had   passed.     To   leave  the 
Church  without  leaders  at  such  a  crisis,  and  when  the 
Church  was  in  such  need,  would  be  evidence  rather  of 
hardness  than  of  genuine  penitence.     But  they  wished 
me  to  understand  that  they  gave  in  their  resignations 
now,  and  asked  that,  when  the  proper  time  came,  these 
resignations  should  be  brought  before  the  Church.     The 
subject  was  indeed  painful,  but   we  were  all  happy  m 
the  thought  that  we  had  been  led  by  the  Spirit  to  the 
same  conclusion.      Whether  the  Church  would  accept 
their   resignation    it   was  not   for   me   to   say;  it   was, 
however,  helpful  to  remember  that  our   Lord  restored 
Peter  to  office  within  forty  days.     At  any  rate,  we  may 
thank    God   fervently  for   the  grace   that  enabled  our 
brethren   to   face   sacrifice   in   the  reality   of  their   re- 
pentance. 

'  When  the  morning  came  for  their  departure,  their 
faces  were  very  different  from  those  we  had  looked 
upon  when  they  came.  Going  back  to  humble  them- 
selves before  their  flocks,  by  confession  and  by  resigna- 
tion, there  was  yet  an  air  of  triumph  about  them  that 


4IO       The  Story  of  a  Recantation 

made   our   own   hearts   glad.     And    we   magnified  the 
grace  of  God  in  them.' 

The  foregoing  narrative  would  lose  some  of  its  interest 
and  point  if  the  sequel  were  not  given.  The  events 
already  detailed  occurred  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1900.  The  pastors  and  deacon  returned  to  their  homes 
and  work,  and  during  the  succeeding  winter  remained 
loyally  at  their  posts.  It  was  not  till  the  following 
spring  that  two  of  the  missionaries  were  able  to  return 
to  Ching-chou  Fu  and  begin  the  work  of  reconstruction. 
Mr.  Bruce  as  soon  as  possible  called  the  stewards  of  the 
Church  together,  and  the  subject  of  recantation  and  the 
action  of  the  pastors  was  the  first  and  most  pressing 
subject  for  consideration.  Pastor  Wang  Ming  handed 
in  his  resignation,  and  in  a  touching  letter  took  upon 
himself  the  whole  blame  for  what  had  occurred.  The 
others  also  formally  resigned,  and  the  Church  was  and 
felt  itself  to  be  bereaved.  Then  ensued  a  most  extra- 
ordinary scene.  No  one  who  has  had  any  intimate 
dealings  with  the  Chinese  people  will  accuse  them  of 
sentimentalism,  or  any  evidence  of  emotionalism ;  but 
on  this  occasion  strong  men  sobbed  like  children,  and 
could  scarcely  speak  for  tears.  They  with  one  consent 
declined  to  receive  any  of  the  resignations,  and  said 
that,  although  the  pastors  had  done  wrong,  yet  it  was 
intended  for  good,  and  they  themselves  many  of  them 
had  been  equally  guilty  before  God.  They  besought 
their  pastors  not  to  leave  them  in  their  then  weak  and 
helpless  state,  and  finally  prevailed  upon  them  to  with- 
draw their  resignations.  This  was  done  in  the  Church 
council,  composed  of  about  fifty  of  the  more  prominent 
members  of  the  Church. 

Subsequently,  a  meeting  was  held  of  representatives 
of  each  of  the  stations,  numbering  in  all  over  a  hundred. 


A  Time  of  Repentance  411 

After  a  faithful  and  earnest  address  from  Mr.  Bruce,  on 
*  If  we  confess  our  sins/  he  said  that,  at  the  request  of 
the  pastors,  there  was  an  opportunity  allowed  them  to 
say  a  few  words.  In  broken  accents  and  voices  trembling 
with  emotion,  each  of  the  pastors  humbly  confessed  the 
sin  of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  and  asked  the  forgiveness 
of  the  Church,  as  they  had  asked  and  believed  they  had 
received  the  forgiveness  of  their  Lord  and  Master,  Jesus 
Christ. 

A  similar  scene  of  uncontrollable  emotion  then  ensued, 
affecting  even  the  foreigners  present,  and  others,  in 
broken  accents,  in  the  presence  of  all,  confessed  their 
sins  and  asked  forgiveness.  It  was  an  occasion  never 
to  be  forgotten  by  all  present,  and  left  the  impression 
that  such  a  breaking  up  of  the  hard  crust  of  the  Chinese 
phlegmatic  temperament  was  one  to  be  deeply  and 
devoutly  thankful  for,  even  amid  so  much  that  was  so 
sorrowful  and  heartrending.  It  was  indeed,  as  the 
apostle  says,  a  godly  sorrow  not  to  be  repented  of. 

After  some  months  of  waiting,  and  patient  and 
earnest  labour  in  settling  matters  generally,  a  public 
thanksgiving  service  was  held,  which  was  attended  by 
about  three  hundred  men  and  about  sixty  women,  many 
of  whom  had  come  long  distances  to  be  present,  and 
thankofferings  were  given  to  the  amount  of  150  Mexican 
dollars  (;^I5  sterling)  to  a  fund  to  be  applied  to 
chapel  building  in  convenient  centres  throughout  the 
district. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

What  manner  of  Men  were  These? 

In  this  chapter  are  brought  together  brief  biograph- 
ical details  of  many  of  those  who  so  nobly  laid  their 
lives  upon  the  altar  of  martyrdom  in  the  year  1900 
for  the  evangelisation  of  China.  The  martyrs  came 
from  lands  far  sundered;  their  race,  birth,  education, 
home  surroundings  and  influences  differed  widely ;  the 
one  thing  that  linked  them  into  a  compact  brotherhood 
was  their  personal  love  for  and  consecration  to  the 
service  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  their  willingness  for  His 
sake  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  the  effort  to  bring  to  the 
millions  of  China  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel.  These 
men  and  women,  enthusiastic  while  alive  in  a  common 
service  for  humanity,  triumphant  in  the  face  of  death  in 
its  cruellest  forms,  upheld  by  trust  in  Christ  Jesus, 
constitute  one  of  the  strongest  and  one  of  the  noblest 
testimonies  to  that  catholicity  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
composed  of  those  who,  however  they  may  differ  among 
themselves  in  non-essentials,  are  all  united  by  a  living 
faith  to  Jesus  Christ,  their  great  Head  and  Captain,  and 
dominated  by  His  own  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  in  the 
service  of  man. 

THE   PAO-TING-FU   MARTYRS 

Dr.    George    Yardley    Taylor    was    born    at 
Taylorville,  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  May  18,  1862,  became 


-^ 


'ak 


THE    PAO    TIXG    FU   MARTYRS. 

MRS.    SIMCOX.  PAUL    SIMCOX.  F.    E.    SI.MCOX. 

FRANCIS   SIMCOX. 
'MRS.    HODGE.  G.    T.    TAYLOR.  C.    V.    R.    HODGE. 


George  Yardley  Taylor  413 

a  communicant  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Burlington, 
NJ.,  in  1883,  and  was  educated  at  the  Van  Rensselear 
Seminary  in  the  same  city,  and  later  at  Princetown 
University.  In  1885  he  took  the  degree  of  M.D.  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  He  was  commissioned  as 
a  medical  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
1887.  He  gave  twelve  years  of  faithful  service  in  China, 
first  in  the  An  Ting  Hospital  in  the  city  of  Peking,  and 
afterwards  at  Pao-ting-fu,  where  the  work  was  in- 
augurated and  the  hospital  buildings  erected  through 
his  personal  exertions,  and  where  he  laboured  alone 
with  singular  devotion  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  mission  until  the  arrival  of  his  friend.  Dr.  Hodge, 
in  the  spring  of  1899.  ^^'  Taylor  attained  to  un- 
usual proficiency  in  the  Chinese  language,  and  to 
great  skill  as  a  surgeon  and  physician.  He  was  never 
married. 

Mrs.  Amelia  P.  Lovvrie,  one  of  his  fellow-workers  in 
Pao-ting-fu,  writes  of  him  : 

'  As  a  physician  he  was  reverenced  and  confided  in. 
His  unwearied  attention  to  the  poorest  so  attracted  two 
men  who  at  different  times  were  patients  in  the  hospital, 
that  they  became  inquirers,  and  finally  professed  their 
faith  in  Jesus,  and  have  stood  firm  in  the  face  of  many 
persecutions  and  trials.  One  mandarin,  a  Hanlin,  had 
a  paralysed  hand.  For  a  year  he  came  every  day  for 
electricity  treatment.  He  loved  and  admired  Dr. 
Taylor,  and  to  give  expression  to  his  feelings  sent 
him  a  tablet  on  which  four  characters  were  inscribed, 
meaning,  "  Love  others  as  yourself."  Only  eternity  will 
disclose  the  thousand  ways  in  which  Dr.  Taylor  did 
kindnesses  which  cost  him  the  crucifixion  of  self.  In 
a  more  pronounced  way  than  many  another  man  he 
suffered  in  his  daily  contact  with  the  Chinese.  His 
high  ideal  of  truthfulness  and  his  exquisite  neatness 
were  over  and  over  again  shocked. 

'  Dr.  Taylor's  musical  ability  brought  cheer  into 
our  homes ;  almost  every  hymn  in  the  new  hymnal  is 
associated  with  him  ;  we  sang  it  through  from  cover  to 


414    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

cover,  taking  sometimes  a  dozen  hymns  in  one  evening. 
This  was  his  rest  and  recreation  after  a  hard  day's  work. 
Hymn  640,  "  Crossing  the  Bar,"  was  a  favourite.  The 
last  time  I  heard  Dr.  Taylor  sing  this  hymn  Mr. 
Norman  was  our  guest ;  now  they  have  both  met  their 
Pilot  face  to  face.  This  highly  cultivated  musical 
talent  and  acute  sensitive  ear  were  wholly  laid  on 
the  altar  of  consecration,  for  it  was  pain  to  Dr.  Taylor 
to  listen  to  the  Chinese  singing,  and  yet  he  always 
led  the  singing  at  our  meetings. 

'  Every  day  of  his  life  expressed  some  new  phase 
of  self-denial.  He  lived  not  to  please  himself,  but  to 
please  Him  who  bought  him  with  His  own  precious 
blood ;  and  now  he  has  heard  the  welcome,  "  Well 
done,  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." ' 

Dr.  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselear  Hodge  was 

born  in  the  city  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  on  July  i, 
1872,  while  the  congregation  to  which  his  father 
ministered  as  pastor  were  holding  a  monthly  prayer- 
meeting  for  foreign  missions.  He  became  a  com- 
municant in  the  Burlington  Church  at  an  early  age, 
and  received  his  education  at  the  Van  Rensselear 
Seminary,  in  his  native  city,  and  at  Princetown  Uni- 
versity. He  graduated  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1897,  and  became 
resident  physician  in  the  Presbyterian  hospital,  serving 
a  full  term  in  1 897-1 898.  He  was  soon  afterwards 
commissioned  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  to  be  the  associate  of  Dr.  Taylor  as  medical 
missionary  at  Pao-ting-fu.  After  a  year  of  service  in 
this  field,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Board  to  take  charge 
of  the  medical  work  in  the  city  of  Peking  in  the  month 
of  April  1900;  but  before  he  had  moved  to  that  city 
the  uprising  of  the  Boxers  occurred,  and  at  the  hands 
of  these  fanatics  he  and  his  wife  lost  their  lives. 

Mrs.  C.  R.  Hodge,  nee  Sinclair,  was  born  in  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  December  15, 1874.     She  was  educated  in 


F.  E.  Simcox  415 

Philadelphia,  and  at  Bryn  Mawr  College,  She  was 
married  to  Dr.  Hodge  in  February  1899,  and  sailed  with 
him  for  China,  under  appointment  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  in  March  of  the  same  year.  She 
arrived  in  Pao-ting-fu  in  the  month  of  May,  and  there 
addressed  herself  with  such  assiduity  and  success  to 
the  study  of  the  language,  that  she  was  able  in  a 
comparatively  short  time  to  make  a  beginning  in 
missionary  work.  On  May  19,  1900,  she  accompanied  her 
husband  to  Peking  upon  reception  of  the  news  of  their 
appointment  to  that  station,  and  assisted  him  in  making 
the  necessary  arrangements  to  occupy  it  in  the  following 
fall.  After  a  visit  of  a  few  days  she  returned  with  him 
to  Pao-ting-fu,  and  was  with  him  when  the  mission 
station  was  attacked  by  the  mob  of  Boxers,  and 
together  they  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 
Dr.  Kettler  thus  writes  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hodge  : 

*  We  are  reminded  that  the  time-element  enters  not 
into  God's  estimate  of  service,  only,  "  Be  thou  faithful 
unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 

'  I  am  sure  it  will  be  said,  and  truthfully,  by  those 
competent  to  speak,  that  they  were  exemplars  to  the 
young  of  all  that  is  pure  and  noble  in  youthful  aspiration  ; 
and  these  early  martyrdoms  will  not  fail  to  admonish 
the  youth  of  China  and  of  all  other  nations  of  the 
exceeding  glory  and  honour  of  lives  devoted  to  the 
redemption  of  a  lost  and  sinful  world.' 

Dr.  Kettler  also  speaks  of  Rev.  Frank  Edson  Simcox, 
Mrs.  Simcox,  and  their  three  children,  as  follows : — 

*  Rev.  P.  B.  Simcox  was  born  in  Bullion,  Venango 
County,  Pa.,  April  30,  1867.  His  father  was  a  man 
of  thrift,  integrity,  and  refinement.  His  mother  was 
a  consecrated  Christian  woman,  who  died  in  1884;  but 
her  influence  did  not  die.  The  son  could  not  forget  his 
mother's  tender  solicitude  and  his  mother's  prayers.  In 
the  autumn  of  1884  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment of  Grove  City  College,  and  graduated  in  June  1890, 


4i6    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

in  the  same  class  with  his  future  wife,  the  companion 
and  partner  of  his  missionary  Hfe  and  labours. 

'In  the  winter  of  1884-85  a  revival  occurred  in 
the  college,  in  which  some  seventy  students  professed 
faith  in  Christ.  Young  Simcox  was  among  the  number. 
There  are  those  who  remember  the  young  lad  with  the 
pale  resolute  face  standing  up  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
student  body  in  the  college  chapel  and  saying,  "  I 
promised  my  mother  on  her  deathbed  that  I  would 
meet  her  in  heaven,  and  by  the  grace  of  God  I  intend  to 
do  so."  He  immediately  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Grove  City,  where  he  remained  as  a  member 
till  his  ordination  as  a  missionary.  With  unswerving 
loyalty  to  his  mother's  God  he  identified  himself  with 
the  Christian  work  of  his  college,  exerting  an  influence 
on  the  college  life  which  helped  many  a  young  man  to  a 
better  and  nobler  career. 

'  Mr.  Simcox  graduated  from  the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  May  1893,  was  married  on  June  7, 
and  in  September  1893  he  and  his  wife  sailed  for  China. 
Mr.  Simcox  was  ceasless  in  activity,  going  from  village 
to  village  teaching  the  Word,  and  daily  exemplifying 
the  power  and  grace  of  God  in  his  own  heart.  He  was 
faithful  and  fearless,  and  even  when  surrounded  by 
hooting  and  threatening  mobs  he  daily  risked  his  life 
to  give  instruction  and  comfort  to  native  Christians. 
Mr.  Simcox  had  preached  the  Sunday  before  his  death 
on  "  We  are  pilgrims  on  the  earth,"  and  the  natives  re- 
marked on  its  appropriateness.  He  said  in  his  discourse 
that  he  hoped  to  be  a  good  shepherd  and  not  desert  his 
sheep,  perhaps  not  realising  that  within  a  week  his  word 
would  be  fulfilled.' 

Mrs.  P.  E.  Simcox,  nee  M.  Gilson,  the  wife  of  the 
Rev.  F.  E.  Simcox,  was  born  in  February  1863,  at  London, 
Pa.  Her  education  was  received  at  the  public  school 
at  London,  and  at  Grove  Street  College,  from  which  she 
graduated  in  1890.  Like  her  husband,  Mrs.  Simcox  was 
led  to  Christ  while  in   college,  united  with   her  home 


Mrs.  F.  E,  Simcox  417 

church,  and  became  an  active  Christian  worker  in  both 
church  and  college.  During  the  three  years  that  Mr. 
Simcox  was  student  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  Miss 
Gilson  was  a  teacher  in  the  High  School  at  Greenville, 
Pa.  She  was  then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  in  the 
prime  of  young  womanhood,  in  a  marked  degree  beauti- 
ful in  person,  gentle  and  engaging  in  manner,  cultured 
in  her  tastes,  sprightly  in  conversation,  apparently 
unconscious  of  power,  yet  winning  all  hearts  with- 
out effort  or  design.  Of  her  Mrs.  Amelia  P.  Lowrie 
writes  : 

'  Five  years  ago  I  became  acquainted  with  Mrs. 
Simcox,  who  has  been  my  nearest  neighbour  ever  since. 
I  have  learned  to  love,  admire,  and  honour  her;  she  was 
so  faithful  to  every  known  duty.  In  addition  to  atten- 
tion to  home  affairs  and  a  most  constant  care  of  her 
children,  she  commenced  a  Girls'  Boarding  School  two 
winters  ago  for  the  daughters  of  the  Christians,  they 
paying  towards  their  support.  Mrs.  Simcox  never 
spared  herself  in  this  work.  Although  not  a  robust 
woman,  she  never  failed  to  conduct  worship  every 
morning  with  her  school,  and  once  a  week  examined  the 
scholars.  This  was  not  all.  They  were  always  on  her 
heart,  and  everything  she  could  do  to  contribute  to  their 
welfare  and  promote  their  improvement  she  cheerfully 
did.  I  can  well  believe  that  many  a  tear  has  fallen,  if 
these  young  people  know  that  on  earth  they  will  never 
again  see  the  face  of  Mrs.  Simcox.  With  the  utmost 
sorrow  do  I  realise  that  not  only  have  we  lost  a  friend, 
but  China  has  lost  a  benefactor.' 

Paul  Simcox,  aged  five  ;  Francis  Simcox,  aged  two ; 
and  baby  Margaret  went  up  in  the  fiery  chariot  with 
their  parents  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Rev.  H.  T.  Pitkin  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on 
October  28,  1869.  He  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
1892,  and  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  1896.  He 
married  Miss  Letitia  E.  Thomas,  of  Troy,  Ohio,  October 
6,  1896,  and  sailed  for  China  in  November  of  the  same 
27 


41 8    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

year.  Mrs.  Pitkin  and  her  child  had  returned  to  the 
United  States  before  the  outbreak. 

The  Rev.  Charles  E.  Mills,  the  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  had  Mr.  Pitkin  as  its  repre- 
sentative on  the  foreign  field,  writes  : 

'  Of  the  glorious  company  of  gifted  young  men  who 
have  followed  the  Banner  of  the  Cross  in  foreign  lands, 
and  have  given  up  their  lives  for  their  Master,  Horace 
Tracy  Pitkin  was  a  fine  representative.  Born  of  a  good 
family,  possessed  of  ample  means,  educated  in  our  finest 
schools,  winsome  in  personal  appearance,  gracious  in 
bearing,  versatile,  self-reliant,  forceful,  and  profoundly 
earnest,  he  was  counted  by  all  who  knew  him  a  singu- 
larly attractive  and  promising  man. 

'  From  that  day  on  Round  Top  at  Northfield,  when 
while  a  student  at  Yale  he  chose  as  his  life-purpose  the 
cause  of  missions,  he  gave  himself  to  it  with  utter 
self-abandonment.  It  was  the  greatest  of  his  college 
enthusiasms,  and  the  all-absorbing  thought  of  his 
seminary  course ;  leading  him  to  go  through  the 
country  as  Secretary  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment, eagerly  and  effectively  urging  upon  the  young 
people  of  our  churches  the  claims  of  foreign  missions. 

*  In  his  service  abroad  he  was  a  forerunner  of  the 
"  Forward  Movement,"  for  by  his  own  suggestion. 
Pilgrim  Church,  Cleveland,  adopted  him  as  their  re- 
presentative, and  for  the  three  years  of  his  residence  in 
China  counted  the  relation  a  rich  privilege.  He  has 
been  a  real  spiritual  leader,  sharing  with  the  Church  his 
enthusiasms  and  difficulties,  and  leading  it  on  into  the 
life  of  the  native  helpers  and  the  ardent  desire  to  reach 
the  people  in  their  great  need.  His  deep  earnestness 
led  him  to  be  characteristically  sanguine,  to  make  little 
of  obstacles,  and  to  long  intensely  for  the  day  when, 
having  mastered  the  intricacies  of  the  Chinese  language, 
his  tongue  should  be  loosed  to  speak  to  those  about  him 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

'When  the  clouds  began  to  gather,  and  when,  her 
health  failing,  his  wife  was  obliged  to  return  to  America, 


Mary  S.  Morrill  419 

with  their  little  child,  for  a  protracted  rest,  and  he  was 
left  alone  amid  untold  perils,  he  put  away  the  thought 
of  personal  danger,  and  filled  his  letter  with  cheer  for 
those  who  were  troubled  for  his  safety. 

*  Now  that  he  is  gone,  laying  down  his  life  in  defence 
of  two  helpless  women,  his  fellow-workers,  facing  on 
their  behalf  the  Chinese  mob,  and  falling  at  their  onset 
as  a  knight  of  the  Cross,  those  who  best  knew  him  can 
but  say  amid  their  tears,  "  His  death  was  like  his  life — 
fine,  fearless,  faithful."  If  there  must  be  martyrs,  never 
was  one  more  fitly  chosen.  Brave,  buoyant,  wholly 
consecrated,  he,  like  the  greatest  of  missionaries,  held 
not  his  life  of  any  account  as  dear  unto  himself  in 
comparison  with  accomplishing  his  course  and  ministry 
which  he  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus.' 

Mary  S.  Morrill  grew  up  in  a  quiet  home  at 
Deering,  Me.,  where  she  was  born  March  24,  1864. 
She  fitted  herself  to  become  a  teacher  at  the  Normal 
School,  and  afterwards  taught  several  years  in  the 
Portland  public  schools.  Her  decision  to  become  a 
foreign  missionary  dates  from  her  schooldays ;  her 
inclination  for  China  grew  out  of  interested  faithful 
work  in  the  Chinese  Sunday  school  of  the  Second 
Parish  Church  in  Portland.  In  those  quiet  days  of 
unobtrusive  service,  even  her  dearest  friends  would 
hardly  have  dared  prophesy  that  modest,  shrinking 
Mary  Morrill  would  develop  the  marked  abilities  which 
characterised  her  missionary  career  of  ten  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1889  she  entered  upon  her  chosen 
life-work  at  Pao-ting-fu  with  a  glad  enthusiasm,  which 
enabled  her  to  overcome  all  obstacles  with  a  devotion 
which  was  to  the  last  unsparing  of  herself.  It  was 
much  for  a  young  lady  to  take  charge  of  the  Pao-ting- 
fu  Girls'  Boarding  School ;  to  instruct  women  in  station 
classes,  and  fill  every  available  hour  with  touring  in  and 
out  of  the  city ;  and  not  strange  that  the  fervent  spirit 
should  spend  the  body  overmuch,  so  that  a  return  to 
this  country  became   necessary  in    1897.     During   the 


420    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

season  of  recuperation  she  displayed  great  power  in 
missionary  addresses,  of  which  the  well-selected  material, 
pithy,  pathetic,  often  humorous,  was  vivified  with  spiritual 
earnestness.  Her  habits  of  work  were  systematic 
and  thorough ;  her  instincts  tender  and  sympathetic. 
God's  Word  was  her  daily  study,  and  prayer  the  breath 
of  her  life.  Possessed  with  burning  love  for  souls,  how 
could  Mary  Morrill  be  other  than  God's  chosen  servant 
for  the  salvation  of  China's  women  and  children ! 

Annie  Allender  Gould  was  born  at  Bethel,  Me., 
on  November  i8,  1867.  She  graduated  'valedictorian  of 
her  class'  from  Mount  Holyoke,  Portland.  At  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  during  her  closing  year  in  Mount 
Holyoke  College,  Miss  Gould  applied  to  the  American 
Board  to  be  appointed  as  one  of  its  missionaries.  In  that 
application  she  said  :  '  For  years  every  appeal  for  workers 
in  the  foreign  field  has  been  like  a  direct  call  to  me. 
While  painfully  conscious  of  my  own  lack  of  fitness,  the 
desire  has  never  ceased,  and  even  when  I  felt  myself  the 
most  unfit,  it  has  called  me  in  to  closer  consecration 
and  preparation.'  When  asked  in  regard  to  trials  and 
hardships  in  the  work,  her  reply  was  the  simple  one  of 
faith,  '  I  believe  that  God  orders  the  events  of  my  life.' 

A  letter  from  a  friend,  speaking  of  her  membership 
in  the  Young  Ladies'  Mission  Band  of  Portland,  reveals 
her  character :  '  She  was  one  of  the  youngest  members, 
one  of  its  officers,  a  mere  girl ;  and  yet  none  were  more 
interested,  faithful,  and  able.  I  remember  her  prayers, 
simple  and  direct,  always  offered  when  others  shirked. 
She  told  me  it  was  not  easy ;  but  "  it  is  my  duty,  and 
when  I  see  a  thing  to  be  done  I  do  it.'" 

In  this  spirit  of  loyalty  to  Christ  she  went  forth  from 
college  to  China  in  1 893.  She  entered  into  the  work  with 
all  her  heart  in  association  with  her  Portland  friend,  Miss 
Morrill.  Together  they  toiled  for  China's  women  and 
children  till  the  Master  called,  in  the  dread  summons 
of  the  mad  mob  who  knew  not  what  they  did,  when 
they   destroyed    those    whose   only   mission   was    love 


William  Cooper  421 

and  whose  only  ministry  was  help.  Honest,  single- 
hearted,  devoted,  trained  from  childhood  in  the  atmo- 
sphere of  Christian  missions,  she  had  served  her  course, 
and  left  with  others  an  undying  testimony  in  blood  for 
the  saving  of  the  great  Empire  with  its  millions  of 
needy  souls. 

Rev.  William  Cooper  was  Assistant  -  Deputy- 
Director,  China  Inland  Mission,  Shanghai.  Prior  to  his 
sailing  for  China  as  a  missionary,  Mr.  William  Cooper 
was  Secretary  of  the  Y.M.C.A.,  Gourock,  Scotland. 
He  received  his  call  to  missionary  service  through 
reading  a  copy  of  a  sermon  by  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
on  the  text  Isaiah  vi.  8,  entitled  '  The  Divine  Call  for 
Missionaries.'  In  that  appeal  Mr.  Spurgeon  said,  'I 
should  not  wonder  if  a  hundred  young  men  rise  up  in 
answer  to  this  call,  and  go  forth  to  heathen  lands  to 
spread  the  Gospel.'  Mr.  Cooper  was  the  second  person 
to  respond  to  that  appeal. 

Mr.  Cooper  reached  Shanghai  in  January  9,  i88r, 
and  went  immediately  to  Gan-king  (the  headquarters 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission  in  the  province  of  Gan-hui, 
where  probationers  are  sent  to  study  Chinese).  There  he 
made  rapid  progress  in  the  Chinese  language,  and  in  due 
course  took  part  in  regular  itinerant  work  as  well  as 
preaching  in  the  city.  In  1882  he  was  stricken  down 
with  typhoid  fever,  from  which  he  did  not  recover  for  a 
month.  This  long  and  serious  illness  permanently  im- 
paired his  hearing.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  to  Wu- 
ch'ang  in  Hupeh  province,  where  he  remained  about  a 
year.  With  this  exception,  his  work,  up  to  his  first  fur- 
lough, which  occurred  in  1887,  lay  in  the  province  of 
Gan-hui.  During  the  furlough  referred  to,  he  married, 
and  returned  to  China  with  his  wife  and  child  in 
November  1893.  On  his  return  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  work  of  the  mission  in  the 
province  of  Gan-hui,  and  was  stationed  once  more  at 
Gan-king.  In  July  1894  he  was  invited  by  the  council 
of  the    mission  in    Shanghai  to   assist   Mr.    Stevenson 


422    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

in  the  important  and  increasingly  difficult  work  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  mission  in  China.  In  1898  he  once 
more  went  to  England  on  furlough,  and  it  was  only  in 
the  autumn  of  1899  that  he  returned  to  his  work  in 
China  again. 

Mr.  Walter  B.  Sloan,  of  the  Mission  Headquarters  in 
London,  thus  writes  of  Mr.  Cooper :  '  For  those  who 
knew  our  beloved  brother,  William  Cooper,  no  words 
will  seem  adequate  to  express  the  quiet,  strong  influence 
of  his  beautiful  life ;  and  we  fear  it  will  be  difficult  to 
convey  to  others  any  satisfactory  impression  of  his  real 
worth.  The  outward  history  of  his  life,  as  seen  from  the 
ordinary  standpoint,  could  not  be  called  eventful  or 
brilliant.  His  name  was  not  widely  known  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  mission  and  that  of  a  circle  of  attached 
friends  who  held  him  in  high  esteem.  One  of  these 
friends  writes  that  he  was  "  one  of  the  very  few  blame- 
less lives  that  I  have  ever  come  in  contact  with."  And 
we  know  that  this  testimony  would  be  confirmed  by  all 
those  who  were  Mr.  Cooper's  co-workers  in  the  mission. 

'  Quiet  strength,  gentle  patience,  frank  faithfulness, 
and  tender  sympathy :  these  seem  to  stand  out  as 
leading  features  in  a  life  for  which  many  of  us  shall 
never  cease  to  thank  God.  Had  the  choice  been  offered 
him  as  to  how  his  life  should  end,  we  believe  nothing 
would  have  accorded  more  thoroughly  with  his  own 
heart's  desire  than  to  be  permitted  to  lay  down  his  life 
on  behalf  of  the  people  of  China,  whom  he  loved  so 
deeply.' 

Benjamin  Bagnall  went  to  China  in  1873.  His 
earlier  years  of  missionary  work  were  spent  in  connec- 
tion with  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  also  later 
with  the  American  Methodist  Mission  at  Kiu-kiang. 
He  married  Miss  Emily  Kingsbury  in  1886,  having 
previously  joined  the  China  Inland  Mission.  After  his 
marriage  he  went  with  his  wife  to  Ping-yang-fu,  in  the 
province  of  Shan-si.  For  several  years  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  mission  in  this  province.     His  first  and 


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PAO    TING    FU    MARTYRS. 

MKS.    BAGXALL.  GLADYS   BAGXALL.  B.    BAGNALL. 

GRAVES   OF   THE   MISSIONARIES. 

WILLIAM    COOPER. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagnall  423 

only  furlough  was  taken  in  December  1 891,  after  nineteen 
years  of  missionary  work. 

Mrs.  Bagnall  had  been  twelve  years  in  China  without 
a  furlough.  They  only  spent  nine  months  in  England, 
returning  to  China  in  the  autumn  of  1892.  On  returning 
to  China  they  went  back  to  Shan-si,  but  did  not  remain  in 
that  province  long.  In  1894  they  removed  to  Pao-ting- 
fu,  in  order  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  forwarding  and 
other  business  of  the  mission  in  that  place,  this  being  the 
farthest  point  reached  by  the  railway  from  Tien-tsin,  the 
head  of  the  river  navigation,  and  so  convenient  as  a 
forwarding  centre  for  the  work  of  the  mission. 

One  who  knew  Mr.  Bagnall  for  twenty-four  years 
writes  of  him  thus :  '  He  laboured  with  all  his  powers  in 
most  difficult  and  self-denying  positions  of  trust  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  his  brethren  and  sisters  in 
Christ.  He  was  a  very  humble-minded  man,  having  a 
full  measure  of  that  rare  grace — esteeming  others  better 
than  himself.  He  was  very  considerate  in  all  his  dealings 
with  the  Chinese,  having  a  deep  sympathy  with  the  poor 
among  the  people  and  with  the  weak  Christians.' 

Mrs.  Bagnall  went  to  China  in  1880.  She  belonged 
to  Walthamstow,  and  was  for  many  years  a  member  and 
worker  in  connection  with  the  Wood  Street  Chapel  there. 
The  following  appreciation  of  her  is  written  by  one  who 
knew  her  well : — 

*  After  five  years'  residence  in  China,  our  sister,  Mrs. 
Bagnall,  wrote :  "  My  life  has  been  a  very  happy  one 
since  I  came  to  this  land — indeed,  the  last  five  years 
have  been  the  happiest  I  have  ever  spent."  Happy ! 
that  just  expressed  her.  There  was  always  a  smile, 
always  a  welcome  for  every  one.  No  hour  seemed 
inconvenient — nothing  too  much  trouble — whether  for 
Chinese  or  foreigner.  Wherever  she  went  it  was  "  The 
Glad  Tidings  "  she  preached,  not  only  by  her  voice,  but 
by  her  smiling  face  and  winning  manner,  while  her 
intense  sympathy  won  the  confidence  and  love  of  the 
poor  women  who  came  to  her  for  help.     And  yet  withal 


424    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

one  could  often  see  how  greatly  she  suffered  from  natural 
anxiety  and  loneliness  while  her  husband  was  away 
visiting  the  distant  stations,  frequently  being  absent 
many  weeks  at  a  time. 

'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagnall  were  engaged  in  Pao-ting-fu 
in  the  work  of  overseeing  and  arranging  for  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  the  various  missionary  parties  of  their 
mission,  coming  from  or  going  to  Tien-tsin  ;  entertaining 
them  in  their  home,  and  then  helping  them  forward 
on  their  journey.  Genial,  kindly,  hospitable  souls !  It 
were  hard  indeed  to  find  two  more  eminently  fitted  for 
such  a  position,  and  now  to  what  honour  God  has  raised 
them  !  Even  to  be  reckoned  among  "  the  noble  army  of 
martyrs,"  to  whom  belong  that  joy  unspeakable,  "  that 
eternal  weight  of  glory  " — only  to  be  realised  by  those  who 
suffer  for  His  name.' 


THE  T  AI-YUEN-FU    MARTYRS 

Thomas  Wellesley  Pigott,  B.A.,  was  born  on 
August  6,  1847,  and  consequently  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  nearly  fifty-three  years  of  age.  He  was  the 
eldest  of  the  six  children  of  William  Wellesley  Pole  Pigott 
by  his  marriage  with  Lucy  French,  niece  of  the  first 
Lord  Ashtown.  He  was  born  at  Leixlep,  near  Dublin, 
on  the  richly  wooded  bank  of  the  beautiful  Liffey.  While 
yet  a  little  boy,  he  helped  his  father  in  his  daily  labour 
of  presenting  Christ  to  the  poorest  of  the  people  who 
gathered  at  his  door  to  receive  his  charity  and  to  hear 
the  message  of  salvation.  When  a  lad  of  fifteen  years 
of  age,  in  the  great  revival  which  took  place  in  the 
midland  and  southern  counties  of  Ireland  in  1862,  he 
was  brought  to  decision  for  Christ  by  a  remarkable 
answer  to  his  own  boyish  prayer. 

He  passed  uneventfully  his  school  and  college  career, 
and  finally  graduated  with  his  B.A.  degree  from  Trinity 
College,  Dublin.  In  1879  he  arrived  in  China  in  con- 
nection with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  during  his 
first  two  years  of  life  there  travelled  a  good  deal,  especially 


Thomas  Wellesley  Pigott  425 

in  Manchuria,  where  on  one  occasion  he  almost  perished 
with  cold.  In  1881  he  settled  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  (the  pro- 
vincial capital  of  Shan-si),  where  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  the  Chinese  language,  and  actively  engaged  in 
evangelistic  work. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Pigott  married  Miss  Jessie  Kemp,  of 
Rochdale,  England,  who  had  come  to  T'ai-yuen-fu  as  a 
missionary,  also  in  connection  with  the  China  Inland 
Mission.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pigott,  being  possessed  of  private 
means,  were  enabled  to  give  largely  towards  the  erection 
of  the  handsome  Schofield  Memorial  Hospital  which 
adorned  the  city,  but  which  was  the  first  building  to 
be  destroyed  by  fire  by  the  mob  on  June  27,  1900. 

In  1 89 1,  after  a  furlough  in  the  home  land,  Mr. 
Pigott  finally  decided  to  settle  in  Shao-yang,  and  work 
independently,  forming  a  separate  organisation,  called 
the  North  China,  or,  as  it  came  to  be  called,  the  Shao- 
yang  Mission,  and  he  collected  a  number  of  devoted 
workers,  who  laboured  both  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  and  in  Shao- 
yang  in  connection  with  him. 

In  1898,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pigott  visited  England  for  the 
last  time,  as  it  proved,  and  on  their  return  to  China  were 
able  to  erect  suitable  premises  for  the  work  in  Shao- 
yang,  which  had  been  felt  to  be  greatly  needed  and  were 
found  most  convenient.  They  brought  with  them  from 
England  Mr.  Robinson  and  Miss  Duval,  not  only  to 
educate  their  son  Wellesley,  but  also  to  establish  an 
educational  centre  for  the  children  of  other  missionaries. 
It  was  owing  to  this  fact  that  the  two  daughters  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Atwater  of  Fen-cheu-fu  happened  to  be  with 
them  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  and  shared  with  them 
the  horror  and  the  glory  of  the  martyr's  crown. 

Mr.  George  F.  French  thus  writes  of  Mr.  Pigott : 

'  If  ever  a  man  lived  who  was  utterly  in  earnest,  it 
was  Thomas  Wellesley  Pigott.  Whenever  he  returned 
to  this  country  from  his  chosen  field  of  labour,  his 
flowing  speech,  in  private  and  public,  was  always  and 
only  of  China  and  her  people,  whom  he  loved  so  much. 
It  was  impossible  to  remain  indifferent  or  unsympathetic 


426    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

in  the  presence  of  such  zeal.  It  wounded  his  spirit,  it 
grieved  him  as  something  unaccountable,  inexplicable, 
that  others  should  not  feel  the  interest,  the  sorrow  and 
the  joy  with  which  he  was  filled.  And  this  was  no 
mere  sentiment.  It  was  such  a  reality,  that  to  spend 
his  time,  his  strength,  his  mental  and  physical  abilities, 
and  his  money  freely  and  wholly  in  the  cause  of  China, 
was  to  him  the  most  natural,  and  for  him  the  only 
reasonable  and  possible  way  to  live.' 

Rev.  Arthur  Sowerby,  of  the  English  Baptist 
Mission,  stationed  at  T'ai-yuen-fu,  writes  as  a  fellow- 
labourer  of  Mr.  Pigott  thus : 

'  Twenty  years  ago,  Mr.  Pigott  stood  on  the  threshold 
of  his  work  in  China.  I  recall  the  first  time  I  met  him. 
I  had  then  been  only  a  few  days  in  China,  and  I 
remember  his  hearty  hand-shake  and  genial  greeting, 
and  the  pleasant  chat  which  followed  in  the  sitting- 
room  of  the  C.I.M.  premises  at  Chefoo.  A  few  weeks 
later  a  party  of  us  were  journeying  towards  T'ai-yuen- 
fu,  and  we  were  pressed  by  circumstances  to  travel 
quickly.  Mr.  Pigott  might  have  joined  our  party  and 
enjoyed  some  pleasant  companionship,  but  it  was 
characteristic  of  him  to  prefer  loneliness,  and  to  lengthen 
his  journey,  although  the  weather  was  bitterly  cold,  in 
order  that  he  might  do  some  evangelistic  work  along 
the  road.  An  intense  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  men  was 
always  a  marked  feature  in  his  character.' 

Mrs.  T.  W.  Pigott  was  born  in  London  on  August 
8,  185 1.  Before  her  birth  her  mother  dedicated  her  first- 
born to  the  mission  field,  but,  being  a  girl,  she  dismissed 
the  thought  from  her  mind.  Jessie  was  a  thoughtful, 
intelligent  child,  and  very  early  became  the  subject  of 
Divine  grace.  Loyalty  to  Christ  was  the  dominant  note 
of  her  life,  and  personal  inclinations  were  never  allowed 
to  turn  her  from  the  path  of  sacrifice.  She  had  a 
buoyant,  intrepid  nature,  which  enabled  her  to  carry 
out  her  work,  no  matter  what  hindrances  stood  in  the 
way. 


Mrs.  T.  W.  Pigott  427 

Early  in  life  her  thoughts  were  turned  to  foreign 
missionary  work,  and  she  received  encouragement, 
especially  from  her  grandmother,  in  these  aspirations. 
She  began  working  amongst  the  children  in  the  Sunday 
school,  and  along  with  her  sister  held  a  children's  service 
on  Sunday  evenings  for  those  not  attending  worship 
elsewhere,  when  as  many  as  two  hundred  children  would 
often  be  present. 

In  1877  she  sailed  for  India  with  the  late  Rev.  James 
Smith  of  Delhi.  She  was  a  born  linguist,  and  made 
rapid  progress  in  learning  both  Hindi  and  Urdu.  Her 
health,  however,  failed,  and  it  was  nearly  two  years 
before  she  fully  recovered  strength  again,  and  the 
doctors  forbade  her  return  to  India,  except  to  a  part 
where  she  would  have  to  learn  a  new  language.  In 
company  with  her  sister  Florence,  now  Mrs.  E.  H. 
Edwards,  she  sailed  for  China  in  1882,  and  on  July  16, 
1883,  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Pigott  in  Peking. 

She  became  interested  in  medical  work,  and  was  able 
to  operate  for  cataract  and  other  surgical  cases  with 
considerable  success.  In  1885  she  returned  to  England 
with  Mr.  Pigott,  and  in  1887,  while  still  in  the  home 
country,  their  only  child,  William  Wellesley,  was  born. 
In  1888  they  returned  to  China,  and  after  some  months 
in  T'ai-yuen  they  opened  stations  at  Huai  Lu  and 
Shun-teh-fu,  and  also  at  Pao-ting-fu  and  Lu-ngan-fu,  and 
finally  in  1892  settled  at  Shao-yang,  where  they  were 
the  pioneer  missionaries.^ 

William  Wellesley  Pigott  was  born  on  August 
24,  1887.  Though  born  in  England,  yet,  as  he  came  as  a 
baby  to  China,  he  always  looked  upon  China  as  home, 
and  much  preferred  it  to  any  other.  As  a  child,  his 
jolly  laughing  baby  face,  with  curly  golden  hair  and  blue 
eyes,  made  him  a  favourite  everywhere.  When  still 
quite  a  child,  his  father  and  mother  on  a  journey  were 

^  For  fuller  details  of  the  lives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pigott  and  their  fellow- 
workers  at  Shao-yang,  see  Steadfast  unto  Death,  by  C.  A.  Pigott,  R.T.S., 
1903. 


428    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Chinese  students  returning 
from  an  examination.  The  cries  of  '  Foreign  devil ' 
were  raised,  and  it  was  felt  to  be  a  moment  of  peril. 
Seeing  this,  Wellesley  was  told  to  bow,  and  the  child 
unhesitatingly  obeyed  with  his  frank  baby  smile,  clasp- 
ing his  little  hands  and  bending  low,  as  a  well-taught 
Chinese  boy  would  do.  The  crowd  was  surprised  and 
pleased,  and  became  quite  friendly,  and  after  a  little  time 
the  party  was  allowed  to  proceed  unmolested. 

From  childhood  his  parents  noticed  a  love  for  the 
things  of  God,  and,  what  is  unusual  in  a  child,  his  deep 
sense  of  sin.  As  he  grew  up  his  growth  in  grace 
was  most  marked.  When  in  England,  Wellesley  stood 
watching  his  uncle  (a  captain  in  the  Yeomanry)  mount 
his  charger.  '  I  shall  be  a  soldier  some  day,'  he  said. 
*  Yes,  and  wear  a  uniform  like  your  uncle,'  remarked  some 
one  standing  by.  *  No  ;  I  mean  a  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,' 
explained  the  boy.  It  was  remarkable  how  he  seems 
to  have  had  the  subject  of  martyrdom  in  his  thoughts. 
To  one  friend  he  said,  '  We  can't  be  martyrs  in  England, 
but  my  father  and  mother  and  I  might  be  in  China.' 
During  the  last  five  months  of  his  life  he  had  a  class 
of  five  Chinese  boys  in  the  Sunday  school,  for  which  his 
mother  helped  him  to  prepare. 

John  Robinson  was  born  at  Doncaster  on 
September  i,  1875.  His  father  and  two  grandfathers 
were  clergymen  of  the  Established  Church.  He  was 
studious  as  a  youth,  and  finally  took  his  B.A.  degree  in 
the  London  University  in  1896.  From  an  early  age  he 
strongly  desired  to  be  a  missionary,  and  though  naturally 
of  a  reticent  and  retiring  disposition,  his  conduct  showed 
that  his  religious  experience  was  deep  and  real.  By  a 
brief  holiday  visit  to  Cliff  College  in  Derbyshire,  under 
the  care  of  Dr.  Grattan  Guinness,  his  spiritual  life  was 
quickened,  and  he  more  earnestly  desired  to  be  used  in 
Christian  service.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Black- 
heath  Y.M.C.A.,  and  finally  its  secretary.  His  views  on 
the  subject  of  believers'  baptism  underwent  a  change,  and 


Mary  Duval  and  Edith  A.  Coombs    429 

he  united  with  the  Baptist  Church  worshipping  in  Lee, 
near  London,  and  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  F.  G.  French. 
In  1898,  Mr.  Robinson  accepted  Mr.  Pigott's  offer  to 
go  to  China  as  tutor  to  his  son,  and  to  undertake  the 
education  of  the  children  of  other  missionaries.  All 
difficulties  having  been  removed,  he  sailed  for  China  in 
January  1899,  and  on  the  voyage  out  began  his  duties 
as  tutor,  and  studied  the  Chinese  language  with  a  native 
teacher.  He  entered  on  his  work  with  zeal  and  earnest- 
ness, and  enjoyed  the  opportunities  of  visiting  the 
missionaries  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  seeing  something  of 
their  work.  He  made  such  progress  in  the  language  as 
to  be  able  to  preach,  and  even  while  on  his  way  to 
martyrdom  assisted  Mr.  Pigott  in  this  way.  His  last 
letter  contained  the  words,  '  May  we  and  the  people 
be  helped  to  trust ' —     The  sentence  was  never  finished. 

Mary  Duval  had  long  desired  to  be  a  worker  in 
the  foreign  mission  field,  and  offered  to  go  to  India  in 
connection  with  the  Church  Missionary  Society ;  but  as 
she  was  forty-two  years  of  age  when  the  offer  was  made, 
that  door  was  closed  to  her.  She  was  disappointed  but 
not  discouraged,  and  God  honoured  her  by  calling  her 
to  live  and  die  for  Him  in  China. 

She  left  England  for  China  in  1899,  having  accepted 
Mrs.  Pigott's  offer  to  help  in  the  work  at  Shao-yang, 
especially  in  the  education  of  the  children  of  missionaries. 
Writing  on  shipboard,  she  quoted,  '  God  holds  the  key 
of  all  unknown,  and  I  am  glad.'  And  this  seemed  to  be 
the  dominant  note  of  all  her  short  period  of  service. 

Her  sister  writes :  '  In  the  midst  of  our  grief,  not 
only  for  the  terrible  loss  we  have  sustained,  but  also  for 
the  awful  suffering  she  was  called  upon  to  go  through, 
we  can  be  but  glad  that  God  gave  her  the  desire  of  her 
heart.  We  can  rejoice  in  her  present  joy,  and  that  she 
was  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  Him.' 

Edith  A.  Coombs  was  born  in  Edinburgh  in 
1862.     She   had    a   remarkably  happy  childhood,   and 


430 


What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 


seemed  '  sanctified  from  her  birth.'  At  the  age  of  ten 
she  entered  the  primary  school  of  Neuchatel,  Switzerland, 
and  although  on  entering  her  knowledge  of  French  was 
slight,  she  gained  a  prize  in  her  first  year.  When  about 
nineteen  years  of  age  she  entered  Somerville  Hall, 
Oxford,  where  she  remained  for  four  years,  graduating 
in  Literature.  She  applied  for  the  post  of  teacher  to 
the  High  School  at  Edgbaston,  Birmingham,  and 
although  she  had  no  previous  experience  in  teaching, 
her  testimonials  were  so  excellent  that  she  was 
unanimously  chosen  to  fill  the  vacant  position.  She 
remained  in  the  school  for  six  years,  and  one  of  her 
colleagues  testifies  that  during  that  time  '  I  never  once 
saw  her  otherwise  than  bright,  sweet,  helpful.'  Those 
who  worked  with  her  in  China  could  all  bear  the  same 
testimony. 

Dr.  Dale's  ministry  was  helpful  in  deepening  the 
flame  of  her  missionary  zeal,  and  although  the  home  ties 
were  strong,  the  desire  to  make  known  the  light  and 
liberty  of  the  Gospel  was  stronger  still,  and  so  in  1899 
she  found  herself  working  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  connection 
with  the  Shao-yang  Mission.  In  her  letters  to  her 
home  folks,  difficulties  and  trials  were  only  hinted  at, 
and  few  could  have  guessed  the  loneliness  she  sometimes 
felt.  The  winter  after  her  arrival  she  took  full  charge 
of  the  mission  girls'  school,  and  as  soon  as  possible 
organised  a  branch  of  the  Christian  Endeavour  Society 
amongst  her  pupils.  Her  great  delight  was  to  gather 
the  elder  girls  for  an  hour  of  prayer  and  quiet  chat 
about  the  work. 

Miss  Coombs  lost  her  life  in  the  act  of  trying  to  save 
a  little  Chinese  child  from  the  cruel  mob.  In  this  she 
followed  the  Good  Shepherd,  who  laid  down  His  life  for 
the  sheep. 

Dr.  Arnold  B.  Lovitt  was  born  in  London, 
February  4,  1 869.  He  was  naturally  of  a  studious  turn  of 
mind,  and  finally  chose  the  career  of  a  medical  missionary. 
Having  finished  his  course  at  the  London  Hospital,  and 


Dr.  Arnold  E.  Lovitt  431 

taken  the  necessary  qualification,  he  was  for  a  time  in 
charge  of  the  Mildmay  Hospital  in  Bethnal  Green.  He 
was  a  Baptist,  a  member  of  the  church  worshipping  in 
the  East  London  Tabernacle,  then  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Rev.  Archibald  J.  Brown.  It  was  from  this 
church  he  was  formally  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God 
in  China. 

Dr.  Lovitt  left  England  in  the  autumn  of  1897  to  join 
the  Shao-yang  Mission,  having  previously  married  Miss 
Grant,  who  had  formerly  been  engaged  in  work  as  a 
trained  nurse  in  the  London  Hospital.  After  arrival  in 
T'ai-yuen-fu,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lovitt  not  only  applied  them- 
selves diligently  to  the  study  of  the  Chinese  language, 
but  were  always  eager  to  help  in  the  work  of  the 
Schofield  Memorial  Hospital,  then  under  the  charge  of 
Dr.  E.  H.  Edwards.  Owing  to  failure  in  health,  Dr. 
Edwards  was  obliged  to  leave  for  England  sooner  than 
he  had  intended.  Dr.  Lovitt  was  thus  left  in  charge  of 
the  medical  work  after  only  eighteen  months'  residence 
in  China.  Both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lovitt,  though  fully 
realising  the  responsibility  resting  upon  them,  gave 
themselves  to  the  work  with  all  earnestness,  diligence, 
and  ability ;  and  carried  it  on  most  efficiently.  They 
were  undoubtedly  true  and  loyal  workers  for  Christ,  and 
had  the  honour  of  not  only  working  but  suffering  to  the 
death  for  His  name's  sake. 

In  a  letter  from  T'ai-yuen-fu,  dated  June  28,  1900, 
Dr.  Lovitt  expresses  what  was  the  feeling  throughout 
this  noble  army  of  martyrs :  '  We  would  like  our  dear 
home  ones  to  know  that  we  are  being  marvellously 
sustained  by  the  Lord.  He  is  precious  to  each  one  of 
us.  The  children  seem  to  have  no  fear.  We  cannot  but 
hope  for  deliverance  (hope  dies  hard),  and  our  God  is 
well  able  to  do  all  things — even  to  save  us  from  the  most 
impossible  surroundings  when  hope  is  gone.  Our  trust 
is  in  Him  entirely  and  alone;  we  are  at  the  same  time 
seeking  to  do  all  that  is  in  our  power  to  do,  and  asking 
guidance  at  every  step.  There  is  not  much  time.  We 
are  ready.' 


432    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

The  wife  of  Dr.  Edwards,  who  knew  Mrs.  Lovitt 
well,  thus  writes  of  her  : 

*  My  first  remembrance  of  Mrs.  Lovitt  dates  back 
to  her  arrival  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  as  a  young  bride  full  of 
happy  hopes,  and  eager  to  begin  her  work  among  the 
Chinese  women.  The  daughter  of  a  devoted  mission- 
ary, she  had  spoken  their  language  as  a  child  ;  it  was 
therefore  easier  to  her  than  to  many,  and  the  ways  of 
the  Far  East  were  familiar  to  her.  There  was  no 
foreboding  in  the  hearts  of  the  young  couple  as  they 
began  their  missionary  life,  and  their  cup  of  happiness 
was  full  when  they  were  given  a  beautiful  baby  boy, 
the  pet  of  English  and  Chinese  alike  of  our  little 
community. 

*  As  a  young  mother,  Mrs.  Lovitt  had  to  solve  the 
problem — a  problem  that  has  to  be  solved  more  or  less 
ably  by  all  missionary  wives  and  mothers — of  teaching 
her  heathen  sisters  without  neglecting  the  home  duties. 
How  difficult  this  is  to  a  weary  mother,  who  passion- 
ately longs  to  tell  her  heathen  neighbours  that  wonder- 
ful ever  new  story  of  Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  and  yet 
is  hampered  and  tied  with  her  God-given  home  duties, 
only  those  who  have  been  on  the  mission  field  can 
realise.  Nobly  and  faithfully  did  Mrs.  Lovitt  strive 
to  fulfil  the  many  and  varied  duties  that  pressed  upon 
her  as  a  missionary's  wife ;  very  cheerfully  and  bravely 
did  she  work  day  by  day,  as  she  sought  to  show  the 
natives  what  a  Christian  home  can  be. 

'  I  have  happy  memories  of  afternoons  spent  visiting 
with  Mrs.  Lovitt  in  the  homes  of  old  patients.  Memory 
recalls  her  so  vividly,  seated  in  her  Chinese  dress  on 
a  k'ang  (brick  bed)  in  one  of  these  homes,  a  group  of 
Chinese  women  clustered  round  her,  her  face  bright 
and  eager  as  she  tells  of  the  loving  One  so  mighty  to 
save. 

*  Other  scenes  come  before  me  as  I  write.  I  see  her 
in  her  own  little  sitting-room  seated  at  study  with  her 
teacher.  She  is  poring  over  those  difficult  Chinese 
hieroglyphics ;  the   Chinese  Gospel  of  Luke    lies  open 


T'AI    YUEN    FU   MARTYRS. 

T.    \V.    PIGOTT.  MRS.    PIGOTT.  J.    ROBINSON. 

\V.    PIGOTT. 
M.    ATWATER.  B.    ATWATER.  M.    DUVAL. 


George  W.  Stokes  433 

on  the  table  ;  and  while  the  teacher  reads  the  sacred 
words  in  his  monotonous  sing-song,  her  baby  boy  sits 
on  her  lap  drumming  with  his  tiny  fingers  on  her  cheek, 
or  dashing  his  bricks  on  the  crooked  characters  the 
tired  mother  is  trying  so  hard  to  master.  It  is  hard 
work,  this  hot  summer  afternoon,  struggling  to  learn  these 
uncouth  sounds  amidst  all  the  baby  din  and  clatter, 
but  is  it  not  because  she  wants  to  tell  of  Jesus,  and  the 
time  is  short  ?  To-morrow,  when  she  tells  her  class  of 
heathen  women  the  wonderful  story  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  perhaps  some  heart  will  melt  and  long  for  the 
forgiveness  of  the  Father,  and  how  well  she  will  be 
repaid  for  weary  hours  of  study ! 

'  Again  I  see  her,  this  time  in  the  dispensary, 
washing  the  filthy  sores  of  a  degraded  woman.  Other 
patients,  old  and  young,  stand  waiting  round  eager  for 
the  kind  word  and  skilful  help  that  will  soon  be  theirs 
too.  Not  one  will  go  away  without  hearing  of  Jesus ; 
not  one  will  leave  without  having  seen  something  of 
the  Christ  reflected  in  the  little  waiting-room. 

'  The  time  of  service  was  short,  as  we  measure  time 
who  are  so  short-sighted  ourselves,  but  the  words  they 
spoke  and  the  lives  they  lived  are  still  remembered. 
The  seed  they  sowed  is  not  ploughed  up  by  the  enemy, 
but  is  lying  in  good  soil,  to  spring  up  unto  a  great 
harvest  when  God's  time  comes.' 

George  W.  Stokes  was  born  in  Dover  in  1 863.  He 
found  Christ  in  the  Salem  Baptist  Church  of  that  place 
in  1 88 1.  He  was  a  printer,  and  an  excellent  workman. 
He  found  time  also  to  be  a  diligent  Christian  worker 
both  in  the  Sunday  school  and  as  a  village  preacher  ; 
besides  taking  an  active  part  in  establishing  and 
conducting  a  ragged  school  in  one  of  the  roughest 
neighbourhoods  in  Dover.  His  desire  for  work  in  the 
foreign  mission  field  was  after  a  time  gratified,  and 
preparatory  to  going  abroad  he  had  a  course  of  study 
in  the  Training  Home  under  the  care  of  Dr.  H.  Grattan 
Guinness  in  London. 
28 


434    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

Mr.  Stokes  arrived  in  China  in  1892  as  a  member 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  by  diHgent  appHcation 
obtained  a  good  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  language, 
and  was  earnest  in  his  work  as  a  preacher,  first  of  all 
in  the  vicinity  of  Shun-teh-fu  in  Chih-li,  and  subsequently 
in  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  Shan-si.  Mr.  Stokes  was  twice 
married ;  his  first  wife  died  before  he  left  England ;  his 
second  wife  was  Miss  Margaret  T.  Whitaker,  who  was 
then  engaged  as  a  nurse  in  Dr.  Edwards'  hospital  in 
T'ai-yuen-fu. 

Mr.  Stokes  left  the  China  Inland  Mission  on  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Whitaker  in  1897,  and  joined  the 
Shao-yang  Mission,  working  in  connection  with  that 
mission  in  and  around  T'ai-yuen-fu  city  till  his  death. 
Mrs.  Stokes  had  from  her  early  youth  been  an  active 
Christian  worker,  and  when  Mr.  Moody  came  to 
London  was  always  busy  in  the  'inquiry  room.' 
She  arrived  in  China  in  1892,  and  worked  as  a 
nurse  for  five  years ;  and  after  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Stokes  worked  amongst  the  women  in  T'ai-yuen-fu 
city  and  surrounding  villages.  Mrs.  Stokes  had  gained 
a  good  knowledge  of  Chinese,  and  was  a  most  earnest 
worker, 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  James  Simpson  left  England 
for  China,  December  15,  1887.  They  both  belonged  to 
Aberdeen,  and  had  been  zealous  workers  in  connection 
with  the  Melville  Free  Church  there,  also  the  Y.M.C.A. 
and  the  Y.W.C.  A.  in  that  city,  and  had  won  a  good  report 
for  their  untiring  and  unselfish  services. 

On  April  20,  1900,  within  three  months  of  the  end, 
Mrs.  Simpson  wrote  to  her  husband's  sister :  '  You  will 
see  how  dark  our  way  is,  but  He  is  light.  He  has  gone 
before,  and  in  Him  is  no  darkness  at  all.  He  has  put 
us  in  His  furnace,  and  His  desire  is  that  we  should  show 
forth  His  praise.  You  speak  of  our  return  to  Scotland 
seven  years  hence ;  ah  !  well,  it  may  be  there  is  no  return 
for  us ;  we  may  return  by  way  of  heaven  ;  our  times  are 
in  His  hands.     As  I  grow  older  I  feel  God's  ways  are 


Dr.  W.  Millar-Wilson  435 

best.     Once  I  believed  it   because  He  said   it;    now  I 
believe  it  because  I  have  proved  it.' 

Alexander  Hoddle  was  the  fourth  son  of  the 
late  Mr.  William  Hoddle,  of  the  Bank  of  England, 
where  he  himself  was  subsequently  employed  for  a 
short  time.  Leaving  this  position,  he  went  to  Canada, 
where  he  remained  ten  years.  While  there  his  thoughts 
were  directed  by  some  Quaker  friends  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  others,  and  on  returning  to  England  he  be- 
came secretary  for  the  Y.M.C.A.  in  Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
While  engaged  in  this  work  he  was  specially  interested 
in  sailors,  and  amongst  these  the  Chinese  attracted  his 
attention. 

After  hearing  Mr.  Pigott  plead  the  cause  of  China,  he 
joined  the  China  Inland  Mission  in  August  1887,  and 
worked  in  Huai-luh  and  Pao-ting-fu  and  the  villages  of 
Chih-li.  Afterwards  as  an  independent  worker  he  threw 
himself  with  energy  into  the  work  in  T'ai-yuen,  taking 
charge  of  the  book-shop,  teaching,  preaching,  and  doing 
much  evangelistic  work  in  private  conversation.  At 
one  time  he  partly  supported  himself  by  teaching 
English  to  Chinese  students,  but  declined  an  invitation 
to  Tien-tsin  to  teach  English,  as  he  said,  '  God,  as  far 
as  I  can  see,  wants  me  to  remain  in  T'ai-yuen  for  the 
present  at  least.'  He  was  a  faithful  and  earnest  man, 
and  highly  esteemed. 

Dr.  W.  Millar- Wilson  in  his  native  town  of  Airdrie 
was  greatly  loved,  and  held  in  high  esteem  by  his 
fellow-townsmen.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  intellectual 
capacity,  which  he  proved  by  becoming  gold  medallist 
of  the  local  academy  (as  was  also  Mrs.  Wilson).  He 
had  the  brightest  prospects,  from  a  commercial  point  of 
view,  but  chose  rather  'to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God,'  and  to  devote  his  life  to  the  labours  and 
trials  of  a  medical  missionary. 

Converted  to  God  in  his  early  teens,  he  entered 
almost  immediately  into  Christian  work  in  connection 


43^    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

with  the  Airdrie  Evangelistic  Association,  of  which  he 
soon  became  the  most  honoured  and  best  loved  worker. 
When,  ten  years  later,  he  went  out  to  China  to  begin  his 
missionary  career,  his  fellow-workers  in  the  home  land 
felt  that  they  had  indeed  given  of  their  best  to  the  cause. 
Dr.  Wilson  went  to  China  originally  in  connection  with 
the  Shao-yang  Mission. 

Dr.  Edwards  writes :  '  I  first  met  Dr.  Wilson  in 
Vancouver,  on  my  way  back  to  my  field  of  labour  in 
1 89 1.  We  crossed  the  Pacific  together,  and  from 
Shanghai  went  on  to  Tien-tsin.  Thence  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  accompanying  both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  to 
T'ai-yuen-fu,  where  for  some  time  they  were  our  guests. 
The  discomforts  of  travel,  which  to  new-comers  are 
generally  considered  trying,  they  regarded  very  lightly. 

*  Both  set  to  work  at  the  language  with  a  will,  and 
were  soon  quite  at  home  with  the  people  of  the  country. 
In  1892,  while  I  was  superintending  the  building  of  new 
premises,  and  attending  to  the  hospital  and  the  general 
work  of  the  station.  Dr.  Wilson  kindly  came  to  my  help, 
and  took  over  the  whole  charge  of  the  hospital  and 
dispensary.  Meanwhile,  he  had  been  looking  about 
with  Mr.  Pigott  for  a  place  to  found  another  station,  and 
finally  fixed  on  Shao-yang  as  their  field  of  labour. 
He  worked  there  with  Mr.  Pigott  for  two  or  three  years, 
but  eventually  joined  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and 
was  stationed  at  P'ing-yang-fu  in  the  south  of  Shan-si. 

*  From  there,  just  before  the  troubles  broke  out,  Mrs. 
Wilson  went  up  to  T'ai-yuen-fu  with  her  baby,  who 
was  sick,  and  on  the  way  called  at  Ho-chau,  and 
travelled  from  there  with  Miss  Clarke  and  Miss  Stevens. 
On  arrival  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  they  all  were  received  into 
Mr.  Farthing's  house.  Not  long  after  his  wife  left  him, 
Dr.  Wilson  developed  symptoms  of  dysentery,  which 
gradually  grew  worse,  and  about  June  19  he  set  out  to 
go  to  his  wife  in  T'ai-yuen-fu. 

'  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  had  intended  returning  to 
Scotland  early  in  the  spring  of  that  year  (1900),  but  a 
threatened  famine  caused  them  to  change  their  plans. 


Jane  Stevens  437 

The  doctor  said  he  could  not  leave  when  trial  was  thus 
facing  his  people.  He  stayed,  and  brought  up  large 
supplies  of  grain  to  meet  the  coming  distress,  and  a 
local  fund  was  instituted,  to  which  he  contributed  a 
very  considerable  amount,  for  the  same  purpose ;  and 
when  he  was  compelled  by  force  of  circumstances  to 
leave,  it  was  a  comfort  to  him  to  think  that  he  could 
serve  Shan-si  better  by  his  presence  in  Britain.  But 
for  this  delay  they  with  their  child  would  have  been 
safely  out  of  the  country  before  the  storm  of  trouble 
broke  which  was  to  fall  upon  them  so  disastrously. 

'Only  a  short  time  before  leaving  P'ing-yang,  the 
native  Christians,  in  view  of  Dr.  Wilson's  home-going, 
presented  him  with  a  large  red  satin  banner,  on  which 
was  inscribed  in  gilt  letters,  "  God's  faithful  servant." ' 

One  who  knew  them  well  thus  writes :  *  With  Dr. 
Wilson's  kind  and  genial  spirit,  and  Mrs.  Wilson's 
generous  hospitality,  P'ing-yang-fu  became  a  centre 
where  all  comers  felt  welcome.'  Native  conferences  and 
conferences  for  missionaries  were  held  there,  and  to 
many  it  was  like  a  touch  of  home  to  stay  with  them. 

One  of  his  last  acts  as  a  medical  missionary  was  to 
travel  twenty  miles,  through  a  disturbed  district,  that  he 
might  do  all  that  he  could  to  save  the  life  of  Elder  Li, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded  by  a  sword-cut  from 
one  of  the  Boxers. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  Dr.  Wilson,  although 
connected  with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  was  entirely 
at  his  own  charges,  and  did  not  draw  on  mission  funds 
for  his  support. 

Jane  Stevens,  of  Ho-chau,  Shan-si.  For  five 
years  prior  to  Miss  Stevens'  departure  for  China,  she 
worked  as  a  nurse  in  connection  with  the  Mildmay 
Nursing  Home,  London,  and  while  there  her  truly 
Christlike  character  was  a  real  help  and  blessing  to 
many  of  the  patients  under  her  care. 

Miss  Stevens  went  to  China  in  September  1885  in 
connection   with   the   China  Inland  Mission.     Finding 


43^    What  manner  of  Men  were  these 

that  the  climate  of  Southern  China  did  not  agree  with 
her  health,  she  was  transferred  to  North  China,  and 
worked  for  some  time  in  T'ai-yuen-fu.  After  her  first 
furlough,  however,  she  was  transferred  to  Ho-chau,  which 
is  another  station  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  five  days' 
journey  south  of  T'ai-yuen-fu.  From  there  she  had 
come  with  Miss  Clarke,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Millar- 
Wilson  and  child,  to  T'ai-yuen-fu,  early  in  June,  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  Boxer  troubles.  Miss  Stevens' 
abilities  as  a  trained  nurse  were  much  in  request,  and 
many  recall  her  patient  ministrations  with  gratitude. 

The  acquisition  of  the  Chinese  language  proved  a 
real  obstacle,  but  by  steady  perseverance  she  gained 
such  a  knowledge  of  it  as  surprised  those  who  knew  her 
initial  difficulties.  When  on  furlough,  she  was  asked  by 
a  friend  '  if  she  did  not  think  some  position  in  England 
would  suit  her  better  than  mission  work  in  China.'  To 
this  she  replied,  *  I  don't  feel  I  have  yet  finished  the 
work  God  has  for  me  in  China.  I  must  go  back. 
Perhaps — who  knows? — I  may  be  among  those  who 
will  be  allowed  to  give  their  lives  for  the  people.' 

Mildred  Eleanor  Clarke.  In  the  summer  of 
1890,  her  father  (Colonel  A.  R.  Clarke)  writes,  she  gave 
herself  in  entire  consecration  to  the  Lord.  Not  long 
after,  while  away  from  home,  on  hearing  an  address 
from  Mrs.  Ahok,  a  Chinese  lady,  and  from  Rev.  J. 
Heywood  Horsburgh,  of  the  C.M.S.  Mission  in  China, 
she  felt  that  she  had  received  a  distinct  call  for  foreign 
missionary  service. 

At  a  missionary  meeting  of  the  Y.W.C.A.  in 
Redhill,  England,  she  was  led  to  express  her  resolve 
to  the  missionary  secretary  of  the  Association.  A  few 
months  before,  it  had  been  suggested  that  the  Redhill 
branch  of  the  Y.W.C.A.  should  endeavour  to  support 
its  own  missionary,  and  Miss  Clarke  was  chosen  as  their 
representative  on  that  mission  field. 

She  sailed  for  China  in  October  1893  in  connection 
with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  finally  arrived   in 


"YRED  AT  T>i  Yuen  F^ 


J.  Stevens 


Mildred  Clarke. 


The    Beynon  Family. 


m^w 


Dr.  Wilson. 


TAI    YUEX    FU    MARTYRS. 


W.  T.  Beynon  439 

T'ai-yuen-fu  in  April  1894.  After  remaining  there 
some  two  or  three  years,  she  was  removed  to  Hsiao- 1, 
and  finally  to  Ho-chau,  where  she  and  her  beloved 
companion,  Miss  Stevens,  worked  together.  They  went 
together  to  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  June  1900.  An  entry  in  her 
journal  on  arrival  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  1894  is  especially 
interesting : 

'  At  last  we  have  reached  our  destination.  .  .  .  Pray 
that  God  may  be  sanctified  in  my  life,  and  in  the  lives 
of  all  His  children  here;  then  the  heathen  shall  know 
that  He  is  God.  I  long  to  live  a  poured-out  life  unto 
Him  among  these  Chinese,  and  to  enter  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  His  sufferings  for  souls,  who  poured  out  His  life 
unto  death  for  us.' 

Rev.  W.  T.  Beynon  was  born  in  Haverfordwest  in 
i860,  and  after  some  business  experience  entered  Harley 
House,  London,  where  he  stayed  for  three  years.  In 
1885  he  joined  the  staff  of  the  China  Inland  Mission, 
working  among  the  Mongols  in  North  China,  from 
Kwei-hua  as  a  centre.  He  subsequently  joined  the 
A.B.C.F.M.,  and  was  stationed  at  Kalgan.  The  appoint- 
ment was,  however,  soon  given  up. 

In  December  1895  he  was  appointed  by  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  one  of  their  sub-agents 
in  China.  He  sailed  with  his  wife  and  family  for 
Shanghai  in  February  1896,  and  from  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  China  had  charge  of  the  work  of  the  Society 
in  Shan-si,  one  of  the  most  difficult  fields  for  Christian 
work  of  any  kind  in  that  country. 

Here  was  little  to  encourage  and  much  to  depress ; 
but  Mr.  Beynon's  faith  never  yielded,  and  he  succeeded 
in  raising  Bible  work  to  a  high  level  of  efficiency,  and 
placing  it  on  a  sound  basis.  His  devoted  labours  and 
personal  worth  were  recognised  by  all  the  Christian 
missionaries  in  the  province. 

A  missionary  writing  from  T'ai-yuen-fu  said  :  '  Mr. 
Beynon  is  so  busy,  and  does  and  helps  so  much.  He  is 
just   everybody's    spiritual    helper;    so    many    of    the 


440    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

brethren  have  borne  testimony  to  that.  His  presence  in 
T'ai-yuen-fu  is  a  godsend  indeed.'  The  report  of  his 
work  for  1899  ends  with  words  which  read  now  like  a 
pathetic  prophecy :  '  We  pray  that  in  this  coming  year 
the  God  of  all  grace  will  give  us  all  grace  to  be  faithful.' 

Mrs.  Beynon,  nie  Emily  Taylor,  came  to  China 
in  1885  in  connection  with  the  C.I.M.  She  was  an 
excellent  helpmate  to  her  husband,  entering  into  his 
plans  and  work  with  great  interest,  and  was  a  devoted 
mother  to  their  three  children. 

Rev.  George  Bryant  Farthing  was  born  on 
December  19,  1859,  at  Blackheath.  The  family  moved 
to  Scarborough  shortly  after  his  birth.  From  his  early 
childhood  he  showed  an  aptitude  for  learning.  At  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  entered  a  printing  and  bookselling 
business  in  Scarborough,  where  he  remained  about  five 
years,  and  subsequently  he  spent  two  or  three  years  in 
connection  with  the  same  business  in  Maidstone  and  in 
Dorset.  In  early  youth  he  was  converted,  and  joined 
the  Albemarle  Church  in  Scarborough.  After  his  con- 
version he  immediately  began  to  seek  to  win  others  to 
Christ,  and  took  up  preaching  in  a  small  village  called 
Burniston,  which  was  a  station  of  the  Albemarle  Church. 
He  preached  in  mission  halls  and  elsewhere  with  accept- 
ance and  success,  and  was  a  teacher  and  subsequently 
secretary  of  the  Sunday  school.  By  and  by  the  call 
came  to  serve  the  Lord  in  China.  With  this  object  in 
view  he  entered  Rawdon  College  in  1881.  When  he  had 
completed  his  course  of  five  years  in  college,  he  sailed  for 
China  on  September  12, 1886,  and  was  stationed  in  T'ai- 
yuen-fu,  where,  with  the  exception  of  furlough  in  Eng- 
land, he  remained  for  fourteen  years. 

He  was  a  faithful  and  earnest  worker,  and  was 
blessed  in  seeing  the  work  of  God  prosper  in  his  hands. 
He  did  good  work  in  connection  with  an  Opium  Refuge 
which  he  started,  and  which  owed  all  its  success  to  him. 
He  also  constantly  preached  in  the  hall  connected  with 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  B.  Farthing      441 

the  book-shop  situated  in  one  of  the  main  streets  of  the 
city,  and  was  active  in  itineration  in  the  surrounding 
district,  and  in  many  other  ways  his  gentle  spirit  found 
rest  in  service  and  in  sacrifice.  Even  in  hours  of  re- 
creation his  chief  pleasure  was  talking  over  mission 
work. 

When  the  troubles  began  to  threaten  ominously,  he 
wrote  to  his  colleague,  Mr.  Dixon,  at  Hsin-chou,  '  If  the 
worst  comes  to  the  worst,  I  am  ready  to  die.'  All 
through  the  fearful  days  of  trial  and  suspense  which 
culminated  so  tragically,  he  seems  to  have  been  the 
leader  around  whom  all  naturally  gathered,  and  on  the 
fatal  9th  of  July  1900  he  had  the  honour  of  being  the  first 
to  receive  the  martyr's  crown.  As  he  himself  once  ex- 
pressed it,  '  His  work  was  done,  the  shadow  on  the  dial 
showed  the  hour,  and  the  workman  was  called  away  to 
his  rest.' 

Mrs.  G.  B.  Farthing,  nee  Catherine  Pope 
Wright,  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Wright,  a 
deacon  in  South  Parade  Baptist  Church,  Leeds.  Miss 
Wright  was  born  February  16,  1864,  joined  the  Church 
of  which  her  father  was  a  deacon  in  1881,  and  took  an 
active  share  in  the  work  at  North  Street  Baptist  Church, 
the  branch  church  of  Meanwood  Road.  She  married 
Mr.  Farthing  in  Shanghai  on  April  23,  1889,  ^.nd  shared 
with  her  husband  the  toils  and  perils  of  life  in  China.  She 
returned  with  her  husband  to  England  on  furlough,  where 
she  remained  for  some  years  with  her  children. 

She  returned  with  her  family  and  a  governess  in 
February  1900,  only  a  few  months  before  the  Boxer  out- 
break. She  is  described  by  one  who  knew  her  as  '  one 
of  the  kindliest  of  women.' 

Three  children — Ruth,  aged  ten,  Guy,  aged  eight,  and 
Elisabeth,  three  years  of  age — shared  the  fate  of  their 
parents. 

Rev.  Silvester  Frank  Whitehouse  was  born  in 
Birmingham  on  August  14,  1 867.    From  his  earliest  years 


442    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

his  mother  had  dedicated  him  to  the  Lord  for  the  work 
of  foreign  missions.  Later  in  Hfe,  when  in  business,  he 
gave  his  leisure  time  to  preparation  for  the  foreign 
mission  field.  In  1888  he  went  to  China  as  private 
secretary  to  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor,  but  after  four  years' 
service  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  England,  on  account 
of  private  affairs  which  required  his  presence. 

While  in  England,  he  pursued  his  studies  under  Dr. 
Grattan  Guinness,  and  on  receiving  an  appointment 
from  the  National  Bible  Society  of  Scotland,  he  returned 
to  China.  After  three  and  a  half  years  of  almost  inces- 
sant travel  in  China  on  behalf  of  the  Bible  Society,  his 
health  gave  way,  and  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  post 
and  return  again  to  England.  For  two  and  a  half  years 
he  studied  in  the  Pastors'  College  under  Rev.  C.  H. 
Spurgeon,  and  also  did  student-pastor  work  in  the  East 
of  London. 

In  July  1899  he  was  accepted  by  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  of  London  as  one  of  their  staff,  going 
out  as  the  representative  and  supported  by  the  Baptist 
Church  at  Upper  Tooting,  London. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitehouse,  on  the  last  voyage  out  to 
China,  had  the  heartfelt  grief  of  losing  their  only  child, 
Harold,  a  boy  of  five  years  of  age.  He  was  buried  at 
Singapore.  Little  did  they  think,  however,  that  he  was 
only  taken  away  from  the  evil  to  come. 

Mr.  Whitehouse,  writing  from  T'ai-yuen-fu,  April  20, 
1900,  says:  'We  greatly  need  special  prayer  on  our 
behalf,  for  as  I  write  there  is  unwonted  disturbance 
connected  with  the  preliminary  examinations  which  are 
now  proceeding,  and  with  the  arrival  to-day  of  the  new 
Governor  of  Shan-si.'  This  letter  reached  England  just 
about  the  time  of  the  martyrdom,  and  the  prayers  offered 
were  answered  in  the  strange  calm  and  peace  in  which 
all  met  their  death,  and  which  extorted  the  admiration 
and  astonishment  of  the  spectators. 

Mrs.  Whitehouse,  7ice  Legerton,  was  formerly 
a  member  of  the  C.I.M.,  and  married  Mr.  Whitehouse  in 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  Dixon       443 

China.  She  was  a  teacher  in  the  mission  school  in 
Chefoo. 

Ellen    Mary   Stewart   was    bom    on    May    11, 

1 87 1.  She  was  converted  to  God  when  a  girl  by  a 
dream  while  at  school.  After  her  school  days  she  was 
engaged  as  teacher  in  Kindergarten  work.  Her  desire 
for  missionary  work  abroad  was  of  long  standing,  but 
home  duties  prevented  for  some  time  its  realisation. 

In  1894,  when  she  was  inquiring  for  a  place  as 
governess,  the  secretary  replied,  '  There  is  but  one  name 
on  our  books,  but  it  is  too  far  from  home  for  you.  It  is 
to  teach  English  children  in  the  interior  of  China  in 
T'ai-yuen-fu.'  She  went  away  pondering  and  praying 
over  what  seemed  God's  answer  to  her  heart's  desire. 
Her  father's  consent  was  given,  and  soon  she  was  on  her 
way  to  China,  and  became  governess  in  Dr.  Edwards' 
family,  of  the  Shao-yang  Mission,  where  she  remained 
over  four  years,  and  where  her  helpfulness  and  affection 
made  her  almost  like  a  daughter.  She  gave  singing 
lessons  to  the  Chinese,  and  studied  their  language  in 
her  leisure  time,  but  subsequently  found  she  had  not 
strength  or  opportunity  to  acquire  it.  After  taking  a 
furlough  of  eight  months  in  England,  she  returned  to 
China  with  Mrs.  Farthing,  of  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society,  reaching  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  May  1900,  just  after 
the  arrival  of  the  new  Governor,  Yii  Hsien.  She  was 
naturally  timid,  but  a  strong  sense  of  duty  and  a  firm 
faith  in  her  Saviour  nerved  her  for  all  the  trials  of  her 
lot,  and  the  end  was  calm  and  peaceful. 

THE  HSIN-CHOU   MARTYRS 

Rev.  Herbert  Dixon  and  Mrs.  Dixon.     Mr. 

Dixon  was  connected  with  the  English  Baptist  Mission 
for  twenty-one  years.  Previous  to  this,  he  had  been  a 
member  of  Downs  Baptist  Church,  Clapton,  London, 
and  a  student  of  Regent's  Park  Baptist  College.  For 
about  five  years  of  his  missionary  career  he  laboured 


y  444    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

in  Africa,  on  the  field  which  is  now  known  as  the  Congo 
Mission,  doing  much  heavy  pioneer  work,  and  only- 
relinquishing  it  when,  after  severe  illness,  medical  advice 
absolutely  forbade  his  return  to  that  country.  He  then 
consented  to  go  to  North  China,  and  arrived,  with  Mrs. 
Dixon,  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  the  spring  of  1885.  After 
some  years  of  work  from  that  city  as  a  centre,  he 
opened  the  new  station  of  Hsin-chou,  a  county  town 
some  forty-five  miles  from  T'ai-yuen-fu.  Here  opium 
refuge  work,  medical  work,  daily  preaching,  and  country 
evangelistic  work  were  diligently  and  successfully 
carried  on.  New  premises  had  just  been  built,  in  order 
to  accommodate  the  extending  work.  Younger  men 
had  come  to  give  of  their  strength  and  vigour  in  service, 
and  the  work  amongst  the  women  was  to  be  more 
vigorously  prosecuted,  and  all  was  full  of  high  hope 
and  encouragement,  and  only  for  the  time  being  are 
these  hopes  to  be  unfulfilled. 

Mr.  Dixon  was  a  man  of  strong  will,  vigorous 
constitution,  and  restless  activity.  He  felt,  on  receiving 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Farthing,  that  a  crisis  had  come,  but 
he  did  not  flinch. 

Mrs.  Dixon,  nee  Williams,  was  born  June  14, 
1855,  at  the  Old  Cross  House,  St.  Davids.  She 
became  a  member  of  the  Calvinistic  Methodist  Church 
at  the  Tabernacle,  St.  Davids.  She  left  St.  Davids  and 
became  a  nurse  in  a  children's  hospital  in  London,  and 
then  joined  another  hospital,  where  Mr.  Dixon  was 
getting  medical  instruction,  and  became  engaged  to 
him  before  he  went  out  to  Africa.  On  his  return 
invalided,  he  went  to  the  hospital  where  Miss  Williams 
was  engaged,  and  she  nursed  him  back  to  con- 
valescence. 

On  November  i,  1884,  Miss  Williams  and  Mr.  Dixon 
were  married;  and  in  the  spring  of  1885  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dixon  .went  out  to  China.  She  was  a  kind,  gracious, 
and  devoted  woman,  and,  owing  to  her  skill  in  nursing, 
a  great  help  in   the   medical  work   carried  on,  besides 


William  Adam  McCurrach         445 

the  work  amongst  the  women.     They  leave  four  children 
to  mourn  their  loss,  three  boys  and  one  girl. 

Rev,  William  Adam  McCurrach  was  born 
in  Aberdeen  on  March  30,  1869.  After  leaving  school, 
he  served  his  apprenticeship  in  an  ironmongery  ware- 
house. His  family  belonged  to  the  Free  Church  of 
Scotland,  but  as  a  scholar  in  a  mission  school  in 
Causewayend  he  came  under  the  influence  of  teachers 
who  were  Baptists. 

His  conversion  took  place  when  he  was  sixteen  years 
of  age.  On  the  morning  after  he  made  his  great  resolve, 
he  joyfully  confessed  to  the  foreman  of  the  workshop 
that  he  had  become  a  Christian.  The  reality  of  the 
change  was  soon  proved,  and  he  rejoiced  in  making  the 
fact  known  as  widely  as  possible.  He  joined  the  local 
Y.M.C.A.,  and  began  to  exercise  his  gifts  as  a  Christian 
worker  in  connection  with  the  Old  Aberdeen  Mission, 
where  he  laboured  till  he  entered  college. 

About  a  year  after  his  conversion  he  joined  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Crown  Terrace,  Aberdeen.  After 
hearing  Dr.  Guinness  and  Mr.  Pigott,  who  visited 
Aberdeen  at  this  time,  he  resolved  to  apply  for  admission 
into  Cliff  College,  with  the  object  of  engaging  in 
missionary  work  in  China.  After  two  years  in  this 
college,  he  applied  to  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society, 
but  the  committee  advised  him  to  continue  his  studies, 
and  recommended  him  to  apply  to  Rawdon  College, 
which  he  entered  shortly  afterwards.  At  the  end  of  his 
four  years'  course  in  Rawdon  he  was  accepted  by  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society  for  work  in  China,  and  in 
the  autumn  of  1896  proceeded  to  that  country. 

He  easily  made  friends,  and  always  kept  them.  Of 
an  open,  frank,  and  kindly  disposition,  he  was  a  favourite 
wherever  he  went.  Although  sometimes  tempted,  he 
never  swerved  from  his  original  determination  to  become 
a  missionary  in  China.  The  only  thing  he  dreaded  in 
this  connection  was,  he  said,  'saying  good-bye  to  his 
mother.' 


44<5    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

On  April  20,  igoo,  the  day  on  which  Yii  Hsien 
arrived  in  T'ai-yuen-fu,  Mr.  McCurrach  writes  of  a 
visit  which  he  and  his  wife  had  made  with  others  to 
some  stations  about  eighty  miles  north  of  Hsin-chou, 
and  where  the  party  had  met  with  encouraging  success : 
'  It  is  needless  to  say  that  such  visits  are  not  only  help- 
ful to  the  natives  but  stimulating  to  our  own  spiritual 
life.  We  are  most  grateful  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for 
giving  us  the  privilege  of  speaking  to  so  many,  and  we 
look  to  Him  to  follow  the  preaching  of  His  own  Word 
with  His  richest  blessing.' 

Mrs.  McCurrach,  nee  Clara  Novello  Scholey, 

was  born  on  January  30,  1869,  in  Bradford.  For  many 
years  it  was  '  her  ambition  to  become  a  missionary/  an 
idea  which  her  family  did  not  quite  approve  of.  For 
six  years  before  going  out  to  China  she  was  head- 
mistress in  the  girls'  school  at  Stairfoot,  near  Barnsley, 
and  in  this  position  proved  very  successful.  In  1898  she 
was  married  in  Shanghai  to  Mr.  McCurrach.  The  last 
letter  to  her  relatives  proves  her  to  have  been  a  loving 
and  faithful  wife,  and  a  true  and  earnest  missionary. 

Rev.  Thomas  John  Underwood  was  born  in 
Cheltenham  on  December  6,  1867.  When  he  was  five 
years  old  his  family  removed  to  Bath,  where  his  father 
threw  himself  very  heartily  into  the  work  of  the  Baptist 
Church  meeting  at  Manvers  Street.  The  young  mis- 
sionary's home-life  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  develop 
all  that  was  noblest  in  Christian  character.  His  mother 
was  a  woman  of  rare  sweetness,  and  her  memory  abides 
in  the  church  at  Manvers  Street  as  one  of  its  most 
precious  treasures.  With  her  son's  decision  for  Christ 
at  an  early  age  came  the  desire  to  bring  others  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  and  his  work  in  the  Sunday 
school  at  the  Bethesda  Mission  Station  was  marked  by 
a  thoroughness,  regularity,  and  earnestness  which  gave 
the  fairest  promise  for  his  future ;  and  when  he  entered 
Bristol   College  in  order  to  be  trained   for   missionary 


Thomas  John  Underwood  447 

work  in  China,  all  his  friends  were  assured  that  he  was 
led  into  this  course  by  God  Himself.  He  became 
endeared  to  all  his  fellow-students,  for  if  his  outward 
demeanour  was  grave,  his  tenderness,  his  humour,  his 
high  honour,  and  his  absolute  devotion  to  his  Lord, 
marked  him  off  for  the  love  and  reverence  of  all  who 
were  privileged  to  know  him  intimately.  His  ordina- 
tion took  place  at  Manvers  Street  Church  in  September 
1896,  and  he  went  forth  to  his  work  followed  by  the 
solicitude  and  prayers  of  many  loving  hearts. 

Mr.  Underwood  arrived  at  T'ai  -  yuen  -  fu  in  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year.  Rev.  A.  Sowerby,  the  only 
man  on  the  Baptist  missionary  staff  in  Shan-si  who 
survived  the  massacre  of  1900,  gives  us  the  portrait  of 
the  young  missionary  at  work  in  China : — '  Mr.  Under- 
wood and  Mr.  McCurrach  reached  T'ai-yuen-fu  one 
Tuesday  afternoon  somewhat  earlier  than  was  ex- 
pected, and  just  as  we  were  starting  out  to  meet  them. 
I  well  remember  how  we  were  impressed  with  the 
appearance  of  those  fine,  handsome  young  men,  and  the 
joy  we  felt  that  the  Master  had  sent  two  such  brethren 
to  labour  for  Him  in  the  mission  field.  Very  pleasantly 
did  the  next  few  days  pass,  for  the  advent  of  new 
missionaries  marks  a  red-letter  day  in  the  calendar  of 
the  lonely  workers  in  Inland  China ;  and  after  the  long 
and  toilsome  journey,  and  the  miserable  accommodation 
of  Chinese  inns,  newcomers  are  delighted  to  be  once 
more  in  a  home,  and  to  be  surrounded  with  friends. 
After  discussion,  it  was  decided  that  Mr.  Underwood 
should  remain  in  T'ai-yuen-fu.  This  decision  was  very 
gratifying  to  me,  and  during  the  winter  Mr.  Under- 
wood was  a  most  welcome  member  of  our  household. 
Thoroughly  modest,  quiet,  and  unassuming,  he  made  his 
presence  and  influence  felt,  so  that  we  speedily  realised 
that  it  was  a  privilege  to  have  him  under  our  roof;  and 
when  the  time  for  parting  came,  my  wife  and  I  agreed 
that  his  companionship  had  been  a  real  blessing  to  us. 
He  joined  in  the  quiet  life  of  the  missionary  community, 
spent  several  hours  with  his  teacher,  and  took  his  daily 


448    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

walk  in  the  squalid  streets  of  the  Chinese  city,  getting 
accustomed  to  noisome  smells  and  disgusting  sights 
and  uncouth  tones,  or  went  out  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  in 
the  fields.  At  the  language  he  worked  with  so  much 
patience,  and  by  such  an  admirable  method  (as  he  had 
his  notebook  always  at  hand  for  new  expressions),  that 
he  very  soon  became  master  of  a  good  number  of  stock 
phrases.  He  made  good  progress  from  the  first,  and  it 
is  not  surprising  that  he  passed  all  his  examinations  in 
Chinese  with  great  credit. 

'  The  rapid  progress  Mr.  Underwood  made  with  the 
language  soon  enabled  him  to  take  part  in  the  Sunday 
school,  and  ultimately  he  had  the  entire  charge  of  the 
boys'  school  in  T'ai-yuen-fu.  There  is  a  teaching  not 
conveyed  by  words,  and  Mr.  Underwood's  kind  and  firm 
treatment  of  the  boys  was  well  adapted  to  the  training 
of  their  character.  It  is  greatly  to  his  credit  that  at  all 
times  he  worked  in  complete  harmony  with  his  colleagues, 
and  that  when  Mr.  Farthing  left  for  a  visit  to  the  coast 
in  the  spring  of  1900,  he  was  well  satisfied  to  leave  the 
entire  charge  of  the  station  in  Mr.  Underwood's  hands. 

'  The  martyrdom  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Underwood  was  an 
unspeakable  sorrow  to  those  who  knew  and  loved  them, 
and  a  great  loss  to  the  missionary  staff.  Only  a  few  of 
their  colleagues  were  left  to  mourn  for  them,  but  those 
who  remain  will  never  fail  to  cherish  their  memory  with 
the  deepest  affection  and  respect.  "  Lovely  and  pleasant 
in  their  lives,  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided,"  but 
together  they  passed  through  the  last  terrible  strife, 
leaning  on  Christ,  and  together  they  heard  the  Saviour's 
"  Well  done,"  and  entered  into  glory.' 

Mrs.  T.  J.  Underwood,  rit^e  "White,  was  left  an 
orphan  at  a  very  early  age.  In  her  seventeenth  year 
she  entered  a  house  of  business  in  Bath,  where  by  her 
dependableness  and  conscientious  service  she  won  the 
esteem  and  affection  of  her  employers.  In  early  life 
she  gave  herself  to  her  Saviour,  and  joined  the  Manvers 
Street  Baptist  Church  in  Bath.     After  engagement  to 


Bessie  Campbell  Renaut  449 

Mr.  Underwood,  she  spent  a  year  in  Mrs.  Menzies' 
training  home  in  Liverpool,  where  she  gained  ex- 
perience in  nursing  and  in  addressing  meetings.  She 
took  a  full  certificate  in  midwifery,  in  preparation  for 
the  work  that  lay  before  her.  In  the  year  1898  she 
joined  Mr.  Underwood  in  Shanghai,  China,  and  they 
were  married  there  on  October  24,  at  the  same  time  as 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCurrach.  Then  followed  busy  months 
in  T'ai-yuen-fu  of  language  study,  sick  -  nursing,  and 
dispensing  a  kindly  hospitality  as  required. 

At  the  time  when  the  Boxer  troubles  broke  out,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Underwood  were  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McCurrach  in  Hsin-chou,  and  there  shared  all  the  trials 
and  sorrows  of  the  noble  band  of  martyrs  who  were 
translated  at  that  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Underwood  left 
no  record,  so  far  as  is  known,  of  their  sufferings. 

Bessie  Campbell  Renaut  was  a  lady  of  consider- 
able force  and  ability.  She  had  been  accepted  for 
mission  work  in  China  by  the  Baptist  Zenana  Mission, 
and  had  arrived  at  her  station  in  Hsin-chou  only  nine 
months  before  her  death. 

She  was  born  at  Leytonstone,  England,  in  1871.  Be- 
fore acceptance  by  the  Missionary  Society,  she  had 
proved  her  fitness  for  mission  work  by  diligent  teaching 
in  the  Sunday  school  at  Leytonstone,  and  the  use  she 
made  of  the  opportunities  she  had  in  the  preparatory 
training  home  in  Burnbank  Gardens,  Glasgow. 

Her  letters  from  China  testify  to  her  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  station,  of  her  visits  to  the  homes  of  the 
people  in  company  with  Mrs.  Dixon,  and  her  intense 
earnestness  of  desire  to  be  able  to  speak  to  the  people 
the  words  of  eternal  life  committed  to  her. 

During  the  awful  weeks  of  suspense  and  wanderings 
amongst  the  mountains,  seeking  to  escape  from  their 
deadly  foes.  Miss  Renaut  managed  to  keep  the  diary 
from  which  extracts  are  given  in  Chapter  V.  The 
last  entry  in  this  diary  is  dated  a  few  days  before  the 
end  came.  It  was  committed  to  faithful  Chinese,  who 
29 


450    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

managed  to  preserve  it ;  and  it  is  now  held  as  a  sacred 
legacy  by  her  mourning  relatives. 

Rev.  Sydney  W.  Ennals  was  born  November  i, 
1872,  at  Lewisham.  It  was  his  happy  lot  to  be  one  of 
the  best  beloved  of  men.  He  was  of  an  exceptionally 
winsome  disposition,  and  his  earnestness  and  strength 
of  character  made  him  a  great  spiritual  power  amongst 
those  associated  with  him.  Brought  up  at  Bury  St. 
Edmunds,  where  for  many  years  his  father  was  a  deacon 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  his  cheerful  disposition  made  him 
a  general  favourite  amongst  his  companions.  When  his 
schooldays  were  over,  he  spent  five  years  in  business  at 
Ipswich  and  Cambridge,  his  leisure  time  being  largely 
taken  up  in  Christian  work. 

At  Cambridge  the  long-cherished  desire  of  his  heart 
was  moulded  into  a  definite  resolve  to  go  forth  as  a 
missionary,  and,  notwithstanding  many  obstacles,  he 
steadfastly  adhered  to  his  resolution.  He  sought  and 
found  opportunities  for  service  in  the  villages  and 
mission  halls  of  the  district,  until  in  1892  he  entered 
Regent's  Park  College.  There  he  speedily  won  a 
unique  place  in  the  affection  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
students. 

He  entered  whole-heartedly  into  the  life  of  the 
college,  and  excelled  in  sports.  At  the  close  of  his 
college  career  he  passed  the  Senatus  Academicus 
examination  in  the  first  division,  and  shared  the  prize 
for  extemporaneous  speaking.  He  was  accepted  by 
the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  for  China,  but  was 
asked  to  wait  until  a  vacancy  occurred.  For  the  inter- 
vening period  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  the  pastorate 
of  a  recently  formed  church  at  Queenstown,  Cape 
Colony.  His  pastorate  commenced  in  January  1898, 
and  lasted  eighteen  months,  and  was  crowned  with 
conspicuous  success  and  blessing ;  a  building  was  bought 
and  fitted  as  a  church,  latent  opposition  was  overcome 
by  the  manifestation  of  a  brotherly  spirit,  and  many 
recognised  that  his  was  a  life  of  singular  consecration. 


THE    HSIAO    I    HSIEX    MARTYRS. 


E.    SEARELL. 


GRAVES    OF   THE    MARTYRS. 
E.    WHITCHURCH. 


Emily  Whitchurch  451 

When  the  call  came  to  leave  for  China,  his  loss  was 
deeply  felt  and  sincerely  mourned  by  those  to  whom  he 
had  ministered.  Although  only  a  sojourner  in  Africa, 
he  set  himself  to  learn  the  Kafir  language,  in  order  to 
speak  to  the  heathen  around  him ;  and  though  his 
knowledge  of  it  was  necessarily  slight,  he  used  his 
acquirement  of  it  to  the  utmost,  and  was  not  wounded 
by  laughter  at  his  mistakes.  He  had  a  genius  for 
'  personal  dealing,'  and  showed  continually  that  passion 
for  souls  which  is  one  of  the  highest  qualifications 
for  effective  service  in  missionary  work. 

After  coming  home  to  England  for  a  few  weeks,  he 
left  for  China,  September  11,  1899.  Though  originally 
appointed  by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  to  work 
in  Shantung,  China,  he  arranged  with  the  Rev.  F.  J. 
Shipway,  who  was  appointed  at  the  same  time  for  work 
in  the  province  of  Shan-si,  to  go  to  that  province  instead 
of  to  Shantung,  and  by  so  doing  he  unknowingly  joined 
the  company  of  those  who  were  destined  to  obtain  the 
crowning  glory  of  martyrdom. 

THE   HSIAO-I-HSIEN    MARTYRS 

Of  Emily  Whitchurch  one  who  knew  her  well 
writes  thus :  '  About  seventeen  years  ago.  Miss  Whit- 
church heard  from  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor's  lips  of  the 
needs  of  China.  It  was  God's  call  to  her,  and  with 
loving,  glad,  childlike  obedience,  which  always  char- 
acterised her  life,  she  responded — terrible  as  the  thought 
of  going  was  to  her  at  first — "  If  Thou  art  calling  me  to 
go,  I  know  Thou  wilt  give  me  strength,  and  I  am 
willing."  Miss  Whitchurch  reached  Shanghai  in  April 
1884,  and  shortly  after  went  to  Chefoo.  She  remained 
in  Chefoo  some  years  as  teacher  in  the  girls'  school 
which  is  established  there  in  connection  with  the  China 
Inland  Mission. 

*  The  school  attained  during  her  stay  a  high 
standard  of  efficiency  as  an  educational  institution,  and 
was  recognised  as  being  well  managed.     When  she  gave 


452 


What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 


up  the  work,  every  girl  in  the  school  professed  her  faith 
in  Christ  as  her  Saviour.  Meantime,  she  did  what  she 
could  for  the  Chinese  women  around  her,  and  several 
were  converted ;  her  heart,  however,  yearned  to  go  to 
the  regions  beyond,  and  in  1887  she  was  set  free  from 
school-work  and  sent  to  Hsiao-I-Hsien. 

'  There  Miss  Whitchurch  laboured  "  more  abund- 
antly "  than  ever,  and  continued  unremittingly,  with  the 
exception  of  one  short  visit  to  the  home  land  about 
seven  years  ago.  God  graciously  owned  her  work  and 
service  of  love,  many  souls  were  saved,  demons  cast  out, 
the  sick  were  healed,  and  opium  -  smokers  reclaimed, 
testifying  how  mightily  God  can  use  even  one  yielded  life. 

*  Her  trust  in  God  was  uniformly  simple  and  strong, 
and  this  made  her  life  like  a  sunbeam  to  every  one 
around  her.  She  enjoyed  trusting  in  her  Saviour,  and 
in  times  of  physical  weakness  and  intense  trial  of  various 
kinds,  her  childlike  faith  rose  triumphant  over  every 
obstacle.' 

On  May  8,  1896,  after  a  year  spent  at  the  China 
Inland  Mission  school  in  Chefoo  in  teaching  music, 
Edith  Searell  arrived  in  Hsiao-I-Hsien.  There 
for  four  years  she  worked  with  all  the  powers  of  her 
energetic  character,  until  she  was  called  to  wear  the 
martyr's  crown.  She  was  amongst  the  first  to  go  out 
from  New  Zealand  to  China  in  connection  with  the 
C.I.M. 

Her  excellent  ear  for  music  and  her  training  in  that 
art  enabled  her  to  acquire  the  Chinese  language  with 
great  rapidity,  so  that  very  soon  she  became  a  help  to 
Miss  Whitchurch  in  the  work  of  the  station.  She  would 
often  surprise  the  Chinese  from  other  parts  of  the 
country  by  her  accurate  imitation  of  their  local  dialects. 

From  morning  till  night  she  was  always  busy  ;  what 
with  teaching,  serving  out  medicine  to  the  opium 
patients,  visiting,  and  housekeeping,  she  never  had  an 
idle  moment.  Often  in  the  daytime  she  would  be  found 
in  the  women's  room,  teaching  them  and  speaking  to 


Edith  Searell  and  Dwight  H.  Clapp     453 

them  earnestly  about  God.  She  was  very  merry,  and 
would  amuse  them  much  at  times,  and  by  her  friendly 
ways  win  their  hearts.  Constantly,  Miss  Searell  and 
Miss  Whitchurch  were  appealed  to  by  the  natives  to 
come  and  pray  for  some  sick  one,  and  their  prayer  of 
faith  was  repeatedly  honoured. 

In  the  summer,  when  the  opium  refuge  was  closed, 
Miss  Searell  delighted  to  visit  the  neighbouring  villages, 
and  the  villagers  received  her  gladly,  for  she  made 
herself  entirely  one  of  themselves,  making  friends 
with  the  children,  eating  the  native  food,  and  taking 
interest  in  all  the  affairs  of  the  household.  She  was 
thus  engaged  up  to  the  last  Sunday  before  her  fiery  trial 
and  final  victory. 

Miss  Searell  was  not  strong ;  she  suffered  at  one 
time  much  from  asthma  and  pneumonia,  and  retained 
this  tendency  to  the  end,  but  this  did  not  prevent  her 
from  doing  more  work  than  many  stronger  people. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  written  June  28,  1900,  just 
the  day  before  she  died,  is  most  touching.  She  says,  in 
writing  to  a  friend :  '  You  speak  of  the  possibility  of 
one  place  being  safer  than  another  ;  from  the  human 
standpoint  all  are  equally  unsafe  ;  from  the  point  of 
view  of  those  whose  lives  are  hid  with  Christ  in  God,  all 
are  equally  safe,  ..."  A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God," 
and  in  Him  we  are  safe  for  time  and  for  eternity.  Shall 
we  murmur  if  we  have  less  time  than  we  expected  ? 
"  The  less  of  time,  the  more  of  heaven."  "  The  briefer 
life,  earlier  immortality." ' 


THE   T  AI-KU-HSIEN   MARTYRS 

Rev.  Dwight  H.  Clapp  was  born  in  Middlefield, 
Ohio,  on  November  i,  1841.  He  graduated  from 
Oberlin  College  in  1879,  and  from  the  Theological 
Seminary  in  1884.  He  was  married  at  Oberlin, 
June  3,  1884,  was  ordained  on  the  22nd  of  the  same 
month,  and  sailed  for  China  in  September  of  the  same 
year. 


454    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Clapp,  nee  Rowland,  was  born 

at  Clarksfield,  Ohio,  February  i8,  1845.  She  studied 
in  Lake  Erie  Seminary,  Painesville.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clapp  went  to  the  United  States  on  furlough  in  1894. 
Dr.  Atwood,  a  colleague  who  was  happily  out  of  China 
at  the  time  of  these  troubles,  writes  thus  of  them  : 

'  How  can  we  speak  adequately  of  Mr.  Clapp, — of 
his  overmastering  love  of  men,  and  zeal  in  their  service, 
that  stopped  at  no  hardship  and  hesitated  at  no  self- 
denial  ;  travelling  many  hundreds  of  miles  from  village 
to  village,  climbing  steep  and  rocky  mountain  passes, 
sleeping  on  the  rude  stone  beds  or  k'angs  in  filthy, 
smoke-begrimed  inns,  where  the  air  is  suffocating  with 
the  sickening  fumes  of  opium,  that  he  might  bring  the 
light  and  hope  of  the  Gospel  to  those  who  were  without 
hope  and  without  God  in  that  land  of  a  darkness  that  is 
tangible  and  appalling. 

*  Time  would  fail  me  to  tell  even  briefly  of  Mrs. 
Clapp's  heroic  faith  and  bravery,  in  establishing  and 
carrying  on  for  so  many  years,  and  so  successfully,  the 
boys'  boarding  school  at  T'ai  Ku.  Naturally  of  a  timid 
and  retiring  disposition,  she  was  enabled,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  to  overcome  all  difficulties  in  making  this  school 
a  model  of  its  kind,  so  that  it  has  been  the  m.eans  of 
winning  scores  of  boys  from  heathen  homes,  and  in- 
spiring their  hearts  with  ideals  of  a  lofty  career.  Great 
hopes  are  at  stake  in  the  future  lives  of  some  of  these 
young  men.' 

Rev.  Francis  W.  Davis  was  born  at  Sparta, 
Wisconsin,  September  8,  1857.  He  graduated  from 
Oberlin  College  in  1889.  He  married  Miss  Lydia  C. 
Lord  on  August  14,  1889,  3.nd  they  embarked  for  China 
in  September  of  the  same  year.  Mrs.  Davis  was  in  the 
United  States  at  the  time  of  the  Boxer  troubles,  and  so 
escaped  the  fiery  trial  which  befell  her  husband.  Of 
Mr.  Davis,  Dr.  Atwood  writes : 

'  In  Mr.  Davis,  what  sterling  honesty,  unswerving 
fidelity,  and    sincerity   we   all    saw   stamped    in  every 


Rowena  Bird  and  M.  L.  Partridge   455 

feature  and  illustrated  in  every  act  of  his  life  !  Christian 
service  and  helpfulness  in  all  the  varied  work  of  the 
mission  was  the  strong  motive  of  his  life,  whether  it  was 
in  mending  a  broken  chair  or  the  making  of  a  treasurer's 
report.' 

Another  writer  says  that  Mr.  Davis'  gifts  lay  in  the 
line  of  practical  effort  rather  than  scholarly  attainment. 
His  labours  as  a  missionary  were  devoted  almost  wholly 
to  pioneering  effort,  sharing  with  one  of  his  associates  in 
the  opening  of  the  station  at  Jen-ts'un. 

Rev.  George  L.  Williams  was  born  at  South- 
ington,  Conn.,  October  4,  1858,  graduated  from  Oberlin 
College  in  1888,  and  the  Seminary  in  1891.  He 
married  Miss  Mary  Alice  Moore,  May  26,  1891,  and 
they  sailed  for  China  in  July  of  the  same  year.  Mrs. 
Williams  and  her  three  children  were  in  the  United 
States  at  this  time.     Of  Mr.  Williams  a  friend  writes : 

'  He  was  well  equipped  for  missionary  service,  full 
of  missionary  enthusiasm  and  growing  zeal  in  its 
prosecution.  He  was  an  excellent  correspondent, 
speaking  kindly  of  his  associates  and  hopefully  of  the 
work  in  hand.' 

Rowena  Bird  was  born  at  Sandoval,  Illinois,  July 
31,  1865,  studied  at  Oberlin  College,  and  embarked 
for  China  in  September  1890.  The  testimony  to 
her  is : 

*  With  what  supreme  loyalty  of  consecration  to  the 
work  of  the  boys'  boarding  school,  and  to  the  Lord  and 
Master  whom  she  served,  did  Miss  Bird  bring  the 
devotion  of  her  earnest  life  and  character,  and  also  to 
the  work  amongst  the  women  of  the  surrounding 
villages !  Hers  was  no  fitful  or  unsteady  devotion  to 
the  work  of  the  Master ;  she  gave  her  whole  soul  to  it.' 

Mary  L.  Partridge  was  born  at  Stockholm,  New 
York,  March  27,  1865.  She  pursued  her  studies  at 
Mount    Holyoke,    Rollins,   and    Oberlin    Colleges,   and 


45^    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

joined  the  mission  in  China  on  October  19,  1893.     She 
is  thus  described : 

'  What  tireless  activity  marked  the  brief  sojourn  of 
Miss  Partridge  among  the  people  of  China  ;  not  a  whit 
behind  the  foremost  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  cheerfully 
bearing  all  hardships  and  dangers  in  long  and  tedious 
journeys,  unattended  except  by  a  Chinese  servant ; 
going  faithfully,  in  storm  or  sunshine,  to  distant  villages 
to  bring  the  cheer  of  her  loving  friendship  for  her 
Chinese  sisters,  whose  souls  she  coveted  for  the  kingdom, 
and  whose  lost  and  miserable  condition  appealed  so 
strongly  to  her  affectionate  nature.' 


THE  FEN-CHOU-FU   MARTYRS 

Rev.  Ernest  R.  Atwater  was  born  at  Oberlin, 
August  20,  1865,  graduated  at  the  college  there  in 
1887,  and  from  the  Seminary  in  1892;  married  Miss 
Jennie  E.  Pond,  who  was  also  a  graduate  of  Oberlin, 
and  who  died  at  Fen-chou-fu,  November  25,  1896.  In 
the  year  1898,  Mr.  Atwater  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Graham,  who  had  been  engaged  in  missionary  work 
in  T'ai-yuen-fu  in  connection  with  the  Shao-yang 
Mission,  and  who  had  come  originally  from  Ireland. 

Dr.  Judson  Smith,  of  the  Oberlin  College,  thus 
writes : 

*  Mr.  Atwater  was  a  man  of  fine  scholarship,  of  high 
purpose,  of  great  energy ;  his  coming  was  a  welcome 
event  to  the  missionary  force,  and  every  feature  of  the 
work  to  which  he  put  his  hand  has  received  a  helpful 
impulse.  Mr.  Atwater  was  for  many  years  secretary 
of  the  mission,  a  constant,  clear,  and  valuable  corre- 
spondent. No  member  of  the  mission  took  wider  or 
more  hopeful  views  of  the  work.  Mrs.  Atwater  was  of 
Irish  origin.  She  was  a  woman  of  strong  character,  rare 
personal  attractions,  and  warm  interest  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  mission  and  its  work.' 

Mr.  Atwater,  in  writing  to  an  associate,  says : 

'  The  work  in  our  mission  is  going  right  on,  so  let  us 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Price        457 

be  up  and  doing.  The  next  ten  years  will  show  a 
^?eat  change.  I  want  you  to  be  in  it,  and  to  have  the 
Sactron^f  it;  youLve  put  a  -nsic^erable  part  of 
vour  life  into  it,  and  it  seems  to  me  it  will  pay  to  put 
&hde  of  it 'in.  Let  us  do  a  work  here  which  will 
be  a  joy  and  a  satisfaction  through  eternity. 

Rev.  Charles  W.  Price  was  born  at  Richland 
Indiana  December  28,  1847,  pursued  his  studies  at 
Ob  ZSeg"  and  grad^aLd^rom  the  Se-inary  in 
1880  Mrs.  Price,  nee  Keasey,  was  born  at  Con 
tantine,  Michigan,  August  '?,  1855.  She  was  also  a 
student  at  Oberlin.     She  married  Mr.  Price  in  1873,  and 


Mr.  Price  is  thus  described  : 

'The  schoolboys  at  Fen-chou-fu  never  can  forget 
the  loving,  smiling  face  of  Mr.  Price  as  he  met  them 
day  by  df;  for  mSrning  prayers  or  for  daily  lessons  in 
Sclassiom.  His  face  and  presence  were  a  contmua 
benediction  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact^The 
soul  shone  constantly  through  every  look  and  gesture, 
and  ever  proclaimed  a  heart  of  deepest  kindness. 

The  last  letter  from  Mrs.  Price,  dated  May  9,  i?oo, 
breathes  of  such  ministry  to  the  sick  and  suffering. 
Hef  life  abounded  in  these  labours  for  the  wretched  and 
lowly  among  whom  she  lived.  Though  she  found  it 
haTd  to  be  reconciled  to  the  thought  of  two  homes  one 
in  America  and  one  in  China,  with  an  ocean  rolling 
between,  she  still  gave  her  life  gladly  and  unreservedly 
to  the  service  of  the  poor  and  wretched.        ^        ,       <■ 

Mr  Price  was  in  charge  of  the  school  at  Fen-chou-fu, 
and  Mrs.  Price  also  assisted  in  this  work. 

A  P  Lundgren  was  born  in  Denmark  in  1879. 
He  w;nt  to  the  United  States  in  1887,  where  he  became 
a  naturalised  citizen  of  the  States.  He  sailed  for  China 
in  1891  as  a  member  of  the  Scandmav.an  China  Alliance 
Mission,  and  in  1898  he  became  a  full  member  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission. 


458    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

Mr.  Lundgren  was  stationed  at  Ku-hiu,  which  is 
about  seventy  miles  from  T'ai-yuen-fu,  and  not  far  from 
Hsiao-I,  where  he  carried  on  opium  refuge  work  and 
itineration  among  the  surrounding  villages.  He  was  a 
faithful  preacher  and  diligent  worker,  and  preached  the 
Gospel  as  fearlessly  to  the  officials  in  the  Yamen  as  he 
did  to  the  peasants  in  the  market-place. 

In  1896,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lundgren  returned  to  America, 
and  spent  two  years  in  Chicago  studying  theology. 
Mrs.  Lundgren  was  clever  and  persevering,  so  that, 
besides  attending  to  the  duties  of  her  house,  she  followed 
certain  courses  of  Bible  study,  and  taught  herself  music. 
After  a  year  spent  in  Mr.  Lundgren's  home  in  Denmark, 
they  both  returned  to  China  in  1899. 

Mrs.  Lundgren,  with  her  quiet,  genial  manner, 
received  many  women  who  visited  her,  and  patiently 
taught  Scripture  verses  and  hymns  to  the  patients  in 
the  opium  refuge.  She  spoke  the  Chinese  language 
well,  and  had  a  gracious  manner  and  real  love  for  the 
people  amongst  whom  she  laboured. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lundgren  had  been  invited  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Price  to  Fen-chou-fu,  as  the  officials  there 
were  friendly,  and  it  was  thought  to  be  safer  than  at  the 
outlying  station  of  Ku-hiu. 

Annie  Eldred,  of  P'ing-yang-fu,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 22,  1 87 1,  and  sailed  for  China  in  connection  with 
the  China  Inland  Mission  on  September  23,  1898. 
Her  unselfishness  was  very  marked,  and  made  her  a  great 
favourite  in  every  place,  whether  at  home  or  at  school,  as 
an  apprentice  in  a  house  of  business,  or  as  a  Christian 
worker.  Her  life  in  China  was  a  happy  one,  though 
headache  sometimes  stopped  her  study  of  the  language. 
She  wrote :  '  I  wonder  what  the  end  of  it  will  be  ;  it 
would  break  my  heart  to  have  to  leave  China,  but  I  will 
leave  it  all  to  Him,  and  learn  to  be  content,  and  gladly 
say,  "  Thy  will  be  done."  I  do  love  the  people  so,  and 
want  to  stay  with  them.' 

She  went  to  P'ing-yang-fu,  South  Shan-si,  in  May 


THE  FEX  CHOU  FU  MARTYRS. 

C.  W.  PRICE.  MRS.  PRICE. 

A.  ELDREU.  MRS.  LUNDGREX. 

E.  R.  ATWATER.     MRS.  ATWATER.        A.  P.  LUNDGREX. 


C.  TAnson  and  Stewart  M^Kee    459 

1890,  and  was  called  to  wear  the  martyr's  crown  on 
Au-ust  15,  1900,  so  that  her  life  in  China,  though  short, 
was'' glorious.  She  followed  her  Lord  in  laying  down 
her  life  for  the  people  she  loved. 

THE  TA-TUNG-FU    MARTYRS 

Charles  I' Anson,  persuaded  by  a  friend  to  attend 
the  night-school  classes  at  the  Conference  Hall  Mildmay, 
London,  was  there  led  to  give  himself  to  the  Lord  and 
to  devote  his  life  to  His  service.     He  began  by  takmg 
a  class  at  St.   John's  Church,  Hoxton,  and  afterwards 
became  a  lodging-house  preacher,  and  engaged  m  other 
forms   of  evangelistic  work.     Later,  after   a  course  of 
study  in  Dr.  Grattan   Guinness'  Trainmg  College,  he 
sailed  for  China  in   1887.     After  four  months  spent  m 
the  Training   Home  of  the  China    Inland   Mission   in 
Gan-king,  he  was  stationed   at  Ta-tung-fu  m   Shan-si, 
where  he  remained,  with  the  exception  of  a  furlough  m 
1897,  till  his  death.     He  married  Miss  Florence  Emi  y 
Dogcart  in  1 892.     She  was  born  in  Sandon,  Bury,  Herts, 
in   1S67,  and  had  the  privilege  of  careful  training  in  a 
Christian  home.     While  at  school  she  became  interested 
in  missionary  work  through  the  influence  of  one  of  her 
teachers,  and  subsequently  in  1884  joined  St.  Andrews 
Baptist  Church,  Cambridge.     She  sailed  for  China  in 
1889,  and  seven   years  later,  owing  to  failing  health, 
returned  to  England,  her  husband  following  a  year  later. 
They  with  their  two  children  returned  to  China  in  189b. 
They  all  entered  their  heavenly  home  together. 

Stewart  M'Kee  was  converted  at  the  St.  George's 
Cross  Tent  in  Glasgow  in  the  summer  of  1882.  He  at 
once  became  a  home  missionary,  and  led  about  a  dozen 
of  his  workmates  to  trust  in  Christ  as  their  Saviour. 
He  was  employed  as  tramway-guard,  and  continued  tor 
three  years  after  his  conversion  to  work  in  this  capacity, 
using  all  his  spare  time  in  Christian  work.  Then  the 
desi?e  to  preach  Christ  to  the  Chinese  was  born  in  him, 


460    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

and  soon  became  his  one  object,  and  God  opened  the 
way  for  him  to  go  in  connection  with  the  China  Inland 
Mission  in  1885. 

Mrs.  Stewart  M*Kee,  n^e  Kate  M*Watters, 

was  also  converted  at  the  St.  George's  Cross  Tent  in 
Glasgow,  and  became  a  worker  in  connection  with  it. 
She  also  went  out  to  China,  and  afterwards  married  Mr. 
M'Kee  there.  At  first  their  work  was  in  Mid  China, 
but  as  that  region  did  not  prove  healthful  they  were 
transferred  to  Ta-tung-fu,  where,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  furlough,  they  laboured  for  ten  years.  Their  work 
was  peculiarly  trying  and  difficult,  yet  God  blessed  their 
labours,  and  souls  were  saved  by  their  ministry. 

Maria  Aspden  was  a  native  of  Preston,  where 
she  was  headmistress  for  over  twenty  years  of 
Emmanuel  Infants'  School.  In  this  work  she  was 
unusually  successful,  and  secured  from  the  school 
inspectors  gratifying  reports.  She  was  converted  to 
God  in  1887,  and  long  had  the  desire  for  missionary 
work,  but  duty  to  her  parents  kept  her  at  home. 
Finally,  however,  the  way  opened  up,  and  she  went  to 
China  in  1892,  and  was  stationed  at  Ta-tung-fu  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  M'Kee  and  others  of  the  same  mission. 
She  made  rapid  progress  in  the  Chinese  language,  and 
was  soon  able  to  speak  fluently  to  the  people  in  their 
own  tongue.  She  had  a  great  love  for  children,  and 
they  used  to  run  and  hold  out  their  arms  to  her  in  the 
street,  and  their  mothers  were  won  to  attend  a  sewing 
class,  where  texts  of  Scripture  were  given  them,  and 
they  were  taught  hymns.  She  also  did  much  work 
amongst  the  women  in  the  surrounding  villages,  and 
amongst  the  patients  in  the  opium  refuge.  One  of  her 
former  fellow-workers  writes  :  '  I  am  sure  many  in  China 
will  bless  God  that  He  sent  her  there.' 

Margaret  Elizabeth  Smith  was  born  in  New 
Hamburgh,   Ontario,   Canada,    in     1858.      Her    father 


N.  Carleson  and  G.  E.  Karlberg    461 

was  a  farmer  from  Durham,  in  England,  who  had  gone 
to  Canada  as  an  emigrant,  and  settled  there.  She  had 
godly  parents  and  a  refined  home,  where  all  the 
influences  which  these  bring  were  amongst  her  early 
privileges.  When  twenty-three  years  of  age,  she  was 
led  to  decision  for  Christ  at  the  weekly  Bible  class 
which  she  attended.  One  of  her  sisters  having  gone  to 
China  as  a  missionary,  and  after  a  year's  work  there 
died  of  fever,  this  seemed  to  Miss  Smith  God's  call  to 
her  to  take  up  work  for  Him  in  that  heathen  land. 
After  two  years'  training  in  Chicago  and  Toronto,  she 
sailed  for  China  in  1896  in  connection  with  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  and  was  stationed  in  Ta-tung-fu. 
There  she  spent  three  years  of  useful  and  happy  service 
before  she  was  called  up  higher. 

Nathanael  Carleson  was  born  on  January  22, 
1867,  in  the  province  of  Nerike,  Sweden.  His  father 
was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the  Swedish  Holiness 
Union.  He  was  the  oldest  worker  in  the  field,  having 
joined  the  mission  in  1890,  and  was  stationed  in  Tso- 
yun.  He  was  a  practical  and  energetic  worker,  and 
enjoyed  the  full  confidence  of  his  brethren.  On  coming 
to  China  the  second  time  (in  1900),  he  left  his  wife  and 
two  children  in  Sweden,  and  they  survive  to  mourn  his 
loss. 

G.  B.  Karlberg  was  born  on  March  18, 1869,  and 
joined  the  mission  in  1896.  Before  leaving  Sweden, 
Mr.  Karlberg  did  good  work  on  the  island  of  Gotland. 
He  was  dearly  beloved  and  appreciated.  He  was  in 
charge  of  Ing-cheo  station. 

S.  A.  Persson  was  born  on  February  25,  1873, 
and  went  out  to  China  at  the  same  time  as  Mr.  Karlberg. 
Mr.  Persson  was  a  good  speaker  of  the  Chinese  language. 
His  only  ambition  was  to  glorify  Christ  and  to  save 
souls.  He  had  charge  of  So-p'ing-fu  station.  Mrs. 
Persson  was  an  out-and-out  Christian  worker. 


462    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

O.  A.  L.  Larsson  was    born    in    1873,   and   had 

been  in  China  only  about  two  years.  He  was  an  earnest 
evangelist,  and  a  never-failing  peacemaker.  Mr.  E. 
Petterson  had  been  only  five  months  in  China  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  was  hard  at  work  on  the  study  of 
the  Chinese  language. 

Miss  M.  Hedlund  arrived  in  China  in  1894.  She 
gave  herself  to  work  and  prayer.  In  her  last  letter  she 
says :  '  As  for  me,  I  don't  fear  if  God  wants  me  to 
suffer  the  death  of  a  martyr.'  Miss  A.  Johansson  was 
born  in  1867,  and  went  to  China  in  1898.  She  worked 
with  Miss  Hedlund.  Miss  J.  Lundell  and  Miss  J. 
Engvall  arrived  in  China  together  in  1899.  One  who 
knew  them  writes  :  '  They  were  strong  and  faithful,  meek 
and  lowly,  ready  for  any  service,  bright,  cheerful,  and 
shining  for  Jesus  all  day.' 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bmil  Olson  left  Sweden  in 
the  early  years  of  their  life,  and  went  to  America,  when 
they,  after  many  vicissitudes,  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  Lord's  service.  They  arrived  in  China  in  the 
spring  of  1893,  and  joined  the  first  party  of  the 
Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance  which  in  that  year 
went  to  Mongolia.  After  the  death  of  the  Rev. 
Emanuel  Olson,  of  the  C.I.M.,  they  were  appointed  by 
the  Rev.  A.  B.  Simpson,  D.D.,  of  New  York,  to  the 
superintendence  in  Kuei-hua-cheng  over  the  North 
China  branch  of  the  C.  &  M.  A.  They  were  both  well 
equipped  for  their  position,  and,  being  very  zealous, 
practical,  hospitable,  and  generous,  they  also  won  the 
confidence  and  love  of  their  associates.  Both  learned 
the  Chinese  language  easily,  and  were  well  understood 
by  the  natives.  Besides  the  work  of  superintendent, 
Mr.  Olson  started  a  printing  press,  the  plant  being 
presented  to  the  mission  by  a  generous  friend  in 
America.  He  instructed  the  Chinese  in  printing,  and 
two  papers  and  other  publications  were  published  by 
him.     Day  schools   and  classes   for   women   were  also 


C.  L.  Lundberg  and  Emilie  Ericson      463 

held,  as  well  as  work  done  in  the  surrounding  villages. 
With  justice  it  was  said  about  them,  '  One  cannot 
understand  how  they  get  time  for  all  they  do.' 

C.  L.  Lundberg  was  born  in  Tjarstads,  Socken, 
Ostergotland,  Sweden,  on  February  27,  1867.  He 
attended  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Kilstedt's  course  of  Biblical 
instruction  in  1891,  and  was  sent  out  as  an  evangelist 
of  the  Holiness  Union  in  Sweden.  As  he  met  with 
hardships  in  this  work  he  looked  upon  it  as  a  training 
for  the  heathen  field,  and  was  often  heard  saying,  *  I 
am  devoutly  thankful  for  the  hardships  I  experienced  in 
the  home  mission  field,  which  have  prepared  me  for 
service  in  China.'  He  was  married  in  Kalgan,  on  the 
borders  of  Mongolia,  to  Miss  Augusta  Brolin  in  1896, 
and  after  that  took  charge  of  the  work  in  Chong-wei- 
hsien,  Kan-suh,  where  he  laboured  till  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Kuei-hsia-chang,  Shan-si,  in  1899.  Mrs.  A. 
Lundberg  was  born  on  September  5,  1872.  She 
attended  the  Rev.  F.  Franson's  Bible  school  in  Sundvall, 
after  which  she  came  out  to  China  as  a  member  of  the 
C.  &  M.  A.  in  1893. 

Edwin  Anderson  was  born  on  January  14, 187 1,  in 
Sodermanland,  Sweden.  He  attended  the  Rev.  F.  Fran- 
son's  Bible  school  in  Stockholm  in  1892,  and  sailed  for 
China  in  December  1892  as  member  of  the  C.  &  M.  A. 
After  one  year's  study  of  Chinese,  he  opened  work  in 
Tung-shui-ho-hsi,  where  he  worked  till  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Fo-to-cheng,  Shan-si,  in  1900,  when  Mr.  M.  Book 
returned  home  to  Sweden.  He  was  married  in  1897  to 
Miss  Emma  Hasselberg  of  the  same  mission.  They 
were  both  used  in  the  Lord's  service,  and  were 
instrumental  in  making  not  a  few  converts. 

Emelie  Ericson  was  born  on  February  12, 
1862.  She  too  attended  the  Rev.  F.  Franson's  Bible 
school  in  Sundvall  in  1892,  and  came  to  China  in  1895 
as  member  of  the  C.  &  M.  A.     She  worked  partly  in 


464    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

Kan-suh,  and  lastly  in  Kuei-hua-cheng,  and  there  she 
received  her  call  to  martyrdom. 

Besides  the  long  roll  of  martyrs  connected  with  the 
C.  &  M.  A.  who  all  died  in  trying  to  escape  from  the 
Boxers,  we  record  the  names  of  ten  others  who  in  differ- 
ent ways  and  places  met  death — the  details  of  their 
sufferings  are  not  yet  known — and  of  the  two  families 
who  suffered  martyrdom  at  So-ping-fu,  together  with  the 
Holiness  Union  missionaries. 

Oskar  Forsberg  was  born  on  December  23,  1871, 
in  Wermland,  Sweden.  He  came  to  China  in  1896. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  had  a  sunstroke,  from  which  he 
suffered  more  or  less  afterwards,  and  which  even  hampered 
him  in  acquiring  the  language.  Being  very  kind,  and 
always  willing  to  help,  his  assistance  in  practical  matters 
was  often  called  for  by  his  associates.  He  married  in 
1898,  Miss  Anna  Lindkvist  of  the  same  mission.  She 
was  born  in  Nassja,  Ostergotland,  on  January  9,  1872, 
and  came  to  China  in  1896.  She  had  a  love  for  God's 
Word,  and,  being  a  walking  '  concordance,'  was  often 
called  for  when  a  passage  was  wanted  in  a  conference  or 
meeting.  Having  a  good  memory,  she  easily  learned  her 
Chinese  language,  and  was  devout  and  earnest  in  her  work. 

Charles  Blomberg  came  from  Morlunda  in 
Smaland,  Sweden,  and  was  born  on  May  8,  1873.  He 
attended  Rev.  F.  Franson's  Bible  school  in  Jonkoping 
in  1893,  and  came  out  to  China  in  1896  as  member  of 
the  C.  &  M.  A.  His  first  years  were  spent  in  Kuei-hua- 
cheng  as  Mr.  E.  Olson's  assistant.  He  was  diligent  in 
his  study  of  the  Chinese  language,  and  succeeded  well, 
giving  promise  of  usefulness  in  the  Lord's  work.  In 
1898  he  married  Miss  Laura  Hanson  of  the  same 
mission.  After  their  marriage  they  went  to  Sa-la-tsi, 
Shan-si,  to  assist  Mr.  Aug.  Palm  in  the  work  of 
the  mission  at  that  place. 


Olof  Bingmark  465 

Mrs.  Blomberg  was  born  in  Goteborg  on  July  i, 
1 87 1.  She  also  came  to  China  in  1896.  She  was 
very  tender  -  hearted,  and  used  to  weep  over  the 
sorrows  of  the  Chinese.  She  truly  loved  them,  and  was 
allowed  to  die  for  the  cause  to  which  she  had  devoted 
herself. 

Olof  Bingmark  came  from  Gotland.  He  was 
born  on  March  19,  1875,  and  came  to  China  in  April 
1^93)  a-  young  man  of  eighteen,  as  a  member  of 
the  C.  &  M.  A.  Besides  the  Chinese  language,  he 
studied  theological  works,  and  even  taught  himself 
Greek.  As  an  evangelist  he  was  very  successful,  being 
earnest,  devout,  and  never  tired  in  conversation  with 
the  Chinese,  whether  at  home  on  the  station,  or  out 
itinerating. 

He  was  married  in  Kalgan  in  1896  to  Miss  Elisabet 
Erikson  of  the  same  mission.  She  was  born  in  Dalarne, 
Sweden,  on  October  15,  1865,  and  came  to  China  in 
1893.  Being  straightforward  and  frank,  she  was  liked 
by  everybody  in  the  mission,  and  loved  and  respected 
by  the  Chinese.  As  an  example  of  her  confidence  in 
God  and  courage  in  danger,  we  give  the  following 
incident : — 

In  the  city  of  Yank-hao,  where  she  and  her  husband 
were  stationed,  the  people  were  always  very  obscene, 
and  hated  foreigners,  and  more  than  once  threatened  to 
attack  the  missionaries.  At  one  time  a  great  crowd  had 
gathered  outside  the  gate  of  the  station,  wanting  to  '  kill 
the  foreign  devils.'  Mrs.  Bingmark  wanted  to  go  right 
out  into  the  crowd,  saying,  '  If  it  be  not  the  Lord's 
will,  they  can  never  hurt  me  ;  besides,  I  have  wronged 
none  among  them.' 

William  Noren  was  born  on  August  11,  1871  ; 
Mrs.  Noren  {nee  Augusta  Zoberg)  was  born  on 
September  29,  1864.  She  had  been  a  nurse  in  the 
Serafimer  Hospital,  Stockholm,  before  she  came  to 
China.  Both  attended  the  Rev.  F.  Franson's  Bible 
30 


466    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

school  in  Stockholm  in  1892,  and  sailed  for  China  in 
the  same  year. 

When  the  Boxer  troubles  broke  out,  they  were 
stationed  at  Pao-teo,  and  report  says  that  they  fled  out 
on  the  Mongolian  plain  in  the  hope  of  reaching  Urga,  but 
after  long  suffering  died  from  starvation  in  March  190 1. 

Mr.  Noren  had  met  with  outrage  at  Ho-pao-ing  in 
1895,  when  a  mob  attacked  the  mission  there.  The 
three  missionaries,  including  Noren  and  Ogre,  at  that 
time  hid  themselves  below  the  floor  in  the  ash-hole 
belonging  to  the  stoves  of  the  brick  beds  which  they 
have  in  that  region,  and  escaped,  as  the  mob  never 
thought  of  looking  for  them  there. 

Martin  Nystrom  was  born  in  Bjornlunda  county, 
Sodermanland,  Sweden,  on  September  26,  1874.  His 
father,  who  is  still  living,  is  a  member  of  the  S.M.U., 
and  had  two  sons  in  China,  Mr.  F.  Nystrom,  however, 
escaped  to  Sweden. 

Mr.  M.  Nystrom  was  of  a  quiet  and  earnest  dis- 
position, faithful  in  the  Master's  service,  and  of  a 
peaceful  nature.  He  worked  in  the  province  of  Kan-suh, 
and  although  his  day  of  labour  was  short,  as  he  only 
came  to  China  in  1896,  he  brought  a  good  many  to 
the  Lord.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Anna  Nystrom  {7iee  Johanson), 
was  born  in  Oster  Korsberga  county,  Ostergotland,  on 
June  2,  1870,  and  came  to  China  in  1896  as  member 
of  the  C.  &  M.  A.  They  were,  in  1898,  married  in 
Kuei-hau-cheng,  and  returned  to  Ping-lo,  in  the  province 
of  Kan-suh.  He  also  fled  to  the  Mongolian  plains, 
hoping  to  reach  Urga,  but  was  overtaken  by  the 
Boxers  and  unmercifully  murdered. 

August  Palm  was  born  in  Nerike,  Sweden,  on 
July  23,  1 87 1.  He  attended  the  Rev.  F.  Franson's  Bible 
class  in  Orebro,  and  sailed  for  China  in  1 896.  He  worked 
together  with  Mr.  Albert  Anderson  in  Sa-la-tsi,  and 
when  he,  in  1898,  returned  to  Sweden,  Mr.  Palm  took 
charge  of  the  work  there. 


Alida  Gustasson  and  K.  Hall       467 

He  married  Miss  Anna  Anderson  in  Kuei-hau-cheng 
in  1898,  but  his  wife  died  on  Christmas  Eve  the  same 
year.  This  was  to  him  a  severe  loss,  but  the  Lord 
comforted  His  servant  in  his  grief  His  motto  was  : 
*  Forward  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus.  We  cannot  expect 
God  to  be  with  us  if  we  choose  our  own  way.' 

Alida  Gustasson  was  born  on  August  7, 
1862,  in  Morlunda,  Sweden.  She  had  been  an  officer 
in  the  Salvation  Army,  but,  meeting  with  Rev.  F. 
Franson  in  Stockholm,  she  heard  about  the  need  of  the 
Chinese  women.  After  this  she  had  only  one  desire, 
namely,  to  save  the  Chinese,  and  she  sailed  for  China 
in  1893.  She  worked  for  some  years  in  Yang-kao-hsien, 
Shan-si,  but  was  transferred  to  Tong-tsing-tsi,  where  in 
1897  she  opened  up  a  station,  and  where  she  stayed 
most  of  the  time  alone.  She  was  zealous  in  proclaiming 
the  Gospel,  and  feared  no  hardships  in  her  Master's 
service.  Now  she  has  obtained  what  she  often  longed 
for,  *  a  martyr's  crown.' 

Klara  Hall  was  born  in  Nyolby,  Ostergotland, 
on  August  13,  1849.  She  was,  when  she  met  Mr. 
Franson  in  Stockholm,  an  officer  in  the  Salvation 
Army.  Hearing  of  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  Chinese, 
she  decided,  after  much  prayer  and  waiting  on  the 
Lord,  to  leave  the  Army,  and  go  to  China,  where  she 
arrived  in  1893.  She  was  converted  in  1873,  ^^^  often 
spoke  of  this  great  event  in  her  life  thus  :  '  I  can  never 
forget  that  moment  in  that  little  hut  by  the  roadside  on 
the  15th  of  March,  when  the  Lord  worked  that  wonder 
in  my  soul.'  In  1880  she  was  called  to  take  charge 
of  a  home  for  prostitutes  in  Norrkoping.  Here  she 
became  acquainted  with  the  Salvation  Army,  which  she 
soon  joined,  and  in  which  she  became  a  zealous  and 
successful  officer. 

She  followed  her  Master  through  hardships  and 
ease,  yea,  even  in  prison,  where  she  was  put  because 
she  openly  confessed   the  name  of  Jesus.     About  this 


468    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

she  said :  '  I  was  very  happy  in  my  cell,  but  one  thing 
grieved  me  during  the  first  few  days,  for  which  I  even 
wept,  that  was  the  loss  of  my  Bible,  which  I  was  not 
allowed  to  have  with  me.'  She  received  it  a  few  days 
later  on  special  application.  Seeing  many  orphans  in 
China  left  to  die,  her  heart  ached,  and  she  made  a 
special  appeal  to  friends  in  Sweden  to  help  her  to  open 
an  orphanage.  This  she  was  able  to  do  in  1898  in 
Sha-ri-tsing,  Shan-si.  It  was  a  great  comfort  to  her 
when  Miss  Kristina  Orn  in  the  spring  of  1900  arrived 
from  Sweden  as  her  associate.  At  that  time  they  had 
probably  over  thirty  children  in  the  orphanage,  and  they 
and  the  children  were  probably  all  murdered  together. 

THE  CHU-CHOU   MASSACRES 

David  B.  Thompson  sailed  for  China  in  1880,  in 
connection  with  the  China  Inland  Mission.  He  was 
then  twenty-six  years  of  age,  an  enthusiastic  and 
vivacious  Scotchman.  He  had  been  trained  in  the 
East  London  Institute,  and  had  been  for  two  and  a 
half  years  the  superintendent  of  Mr.  Quarrier's  Home 
for  Boys,  Govan  Road,  Glasgow.  Early  in  1885  he 
married  Miss  Agnes  Dowman,  and  together  they  went 
to  China,  and  began  work  in  Chu-chou-fu,  in  the 
province  of  Chekiang.  As  this  city  is  near  the  borders 
of  Kiangsi,  part  of  the  work  in  that  province  was  also 
placed  under  his  superintendence.  Mr.  Thompson  was 
able  to  say  that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  had  baptized 
and  received  into  the  Christian  Church  sixty-two 
Chinese,  after  six  years'  labour  in  Chu-chou  city. 

While  in  England  on  furlough  in  1891,  he  under- 
took much  evangelistic  work,  and  had  many  signs  of 
blessings  on  his  labours.  While  at  the  seaside  in  the 
summer,  he  would  show  his  Chinese  dress  to  attract 
attention,  and  go  to  the  beach  and  collect  an  audience 
and  preach  to  them  the  word  of  life. 

A    visitor  to  the  Thompsons   in  Chu-chou  in  i; 
thus  describes  the  scene : 


Josephine  Desmond  469 

*  The  whole  scene  is  photographed  on  my  mind. 
The  bright  welcome  when  we  arrived, — Mrs.  Thompson's 
and  baby  Sidney,  then  six  weeks  old  ;  little  Edwin,  a 
sweet  child  of  three  years,  eager  to  take  us  round  the 
garden,  part  of  which  was  well  stocked  with  English 
flowers  and  vegetables.  .  .  .  Christian  women  were 
at  work  under  Mrs.  Thompson's  direction,  and  the 
evangelist  in  and  out,  every  one  busy  and  always  busy. 
A  joy-tone  was  about  that  spot  that  will  never  fade 
from  my  memory.  The  work  was  hard,  the  people 
proud  and  unyielding,  yet  they  were  sowing  in  hope  of 
a  glorious  harvest. 

*  The  medicine  shop,  in  one  of  the  busiest  thorough- 
fares, was  open  all  day,  and  the  Christian  man  in 
charge  was  freely  distributing  Gospel  tracts  to  each 
customer.  About  six  o'clock  the  selling  of  medicine 
stopped,  seats  were  arranged,  and  all  the  evening  spent 
in  Gospel  work.  Night  after  night  the  shop  was  filled 
with  an  ever-changing  congregation  of  men  of  every 
rank,  from  the  scholar  to  the  coolie.  I  spent  one 
evening  watching  the  interesting  scene, — Mr.  Thompson 
and  two  evangelists  at  work,  singing,  preaching,  and 
answering  questions.  The  number  rarely  went  below 
seventy  throughout  the  three  hours  I  was  present. 
What  a  sowing  of  the  good  seed  ! ' 

Mr.  Thompson  had  access  into  many  homes  of  all 
classes  in  the  city,  and  was  constantly  sent  for  in  times 
of  sickness.  The  work  was  enlarging  on  all  sides ; 
new  premises  had  been  built,  Mrs.  Thompson's  meeting 
had  an  attendance  of  eighty  women  twice  a  week,  and 
the  out-stations  were  prospering,  when  the  storm  burst 
upon  and  swept  them  to  '  the  other  side.' 

Josephine  Desmond  was  born  in  West  Newton, 
Mass.,  in  1867.  She  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  her 
parents  were  Roman  Catholics.  Miss  Desmond,  how- 
ever, became  a  Protestant,  and  sought,  along  with  her 
change  of  heart,  the  mental  culture  to  be  obtained  in 
Mr.  Moody's  schools  at   Northfield.     She  remained   at 


4/0    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

Northfield  five  years,  and  during  her  course  of  study 
there  received  God's  call  for  service  amongst  the  heathen, 
through  the  lips  of  Mr.  Robert  Speer,  who  was  visiting 
the  seminary  at  the  time,  and  had  taken  the  opportunity 
of  pressing  the  claims  of  the  heathen  world  upon  the 
attention  of  the  students.  On  finishing  her  course  at 
Northfield,  she  went  to  Mr.  Moody's  Bible  Training 
School  at  Chicago,  where  she  spent  some  months  in 
definite  Bible  study. 

She  then  offered  and  was  accepted  for  mission  work 
in  China  in  connection  with  the  China  Inland  Mission. 
She  spent  some  time  in  the  mission  home  in  Toronto, 
where  she  took  a  full  course  in  the  art  of  nursing,  and 
was  incessant  in  good  works  amongst  the  poor  in  that 
city.  She  arrived  in  China  in  December  1898,  and,  after 
taking  the  usual  course  of  study  in  the  Chinese  language, 
she  joined  Miss  Britton,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  station 
at  Shiao  Shan,  and,  on  Miss  Britton's  return  to  England 
on  furlough,  she  went  to  Chu-chou  to  help  in  the  work 
there.  She  was  thus  only  eighteen  months  in  China 
before  the  call  to  '  come  up  higher'  came  to  her. 

M.  E.  Manchester  was  born  in  Edmeston,  New 
York,  on  November  11,  1871.  She  was  reared  in  an 
atmosphere  of  true  piety,  and  so  the  passing  from  'death 
into  life '  was  with  her  a  gradual  process,  but  when  about 
nineteen  years  of  age  she  gave  herself  definitely  to  the 
Saviour  and  to  His  service.  She  received  a  fair  education 
in  her  native  place,  and  engaged  for  some  time  in  school 
teaching. 

She  offered  for  mission  work  in  China  in  connection 
with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and,  after  two  years  of 
training  in  the  mission  home  in  Toronto,  set  sail  for 
China  in  1895.  After  a  preliminary  study  of  the  Chinese 
language,  she  joined  Miss  Fuller  at  the  station  of  Ch'ang 
Shan,  in  the  province  of  Chekiang,  where  she  remained 
for  two  years,  until  Miss  Fuller  became  Mrs.  Ward.  She 
then  removed  to  Chu-chou,  and  worked  in  happy  associa- 
tion with  Miss  Sherwood.     She  had  heard  of  her  father's 


CHU    CHOU    FU    MARTYRS. 

G.    F.    WARD. 
MRS.    WARD.  E.    A.    THIRGOOD. 

A    CHINESE    POPPY    FIELD. 


Edith  S.  Sherwood  471 

failing  health,  and  was  preparing  to  return  to  the  home- 
land to  attend  him,  when  the  summons  came  which  called 
her  to  her  Father's  house  above.  A  friend  in  writing  of 
her  work  says : 

'  She  loved  the  people,  and,  having  got  on  well  with 
the  language,  constantly  spent  weeks  together  itinerating 
from  village  to  village.  Many  women  had  been  brought 
to  Christ,  and  there  were  many  inquirers.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's last  letter  told  of  baptisms,  and  great  encourage- 
ment in  the  work  all  around.' 

Edith  S.  Sherwood  was  born  on  April  11,  1854. 
From  her  youth  up  she  was  one  of  those  to  whom 
service  for  Christ  seems  to  be  natural,  growing  with  her 
growth  of  mind  and  body.  While  in  school,  her  bright 
example  was  blessed  to  her  young  companions,  and  even 
on  her  journeys  home  for  the  holidays  she  would  produce 
little  penny  Gospels  that  she  had  bought  with  her  pocket- 
money,  and  confidentially  present  them  to  fellow-passen- 
gers 'whose  eyes  were  getting  too  old  to  read  small 
print.'  As  she  advanced  to  womanhood,  her  powers 
and  opportunities  of  service  increased.  Her  natural 
force  of  mind  and  will  made  her  services  valuable,  and 
her  talents  were  in  constant  demand. 

She  worked  in  connection  with  Christ  Church, 
Barnet,  amongst  the  sick  and  poor,  and  also  amongst 
militiamen  there,  and  amongst  soldiers  at  Aldershot  and 
Colchester,  and  for  a  time  assisted  in  Miss  De  Broen's 
Mission  in  Paris.  A  friendship  formed  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thompson  was  the  providential  link  which  led  her 
to  China,  where  she  accompanied  them  in  1893,  and 
where  she  spent  the  last  seven  years  of  her  busy  life. 
Her  home  in  Chu-chou  was  in  the  midst  of  native 
houses,  and  as  she  looked  out  upon  these  from  her 
balcony,  she  prayed  and  longed  for  the  salvation  of  the 
people.  She  visited  freely  amongst  them,  and  was 
always  well  received,  and  for  them  she  was  called  to  lay 
down  her  life. 


472    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

G.  F.  Ward  was  '  born  again '  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Y.M.C.A.  held  in  Aldersgate  Street,  London,  in  1890, 
and  from  that  time  he  earnestly  desired  that  others 
might  know  the  Saviour  whom  he  loved.  He  was  soon 
led  to  feel  the  urgent  need  of  '  China's  millions,'  and  he 
offered  himself  for  work  there  in  connection  with  the 
China  Inland  Mission,  undertaking  to  pay  all  his  own 
expenses.  His  joy  on  receiving  a  favourable  reply  was 
unbounded,  and  this  joy  of  his  Lord  was  his  strength, 
the  well-spring  of  which  was  his  unfailing  supply  until 
the  day  on  which  he  was  called  to  lay  down  earth's 
burdens  and  take  up  the  martyr's  crown.  He  accom- 
panied Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  to  China  in  1893,  ^"^ 
was  ultimately  stationed  at  Ch'ang-shan,  in  the  province 
of  Chekiang. 

Mrs.  G.  P.  Ward,  nee  Etta  L.  Fuller,  was  born 
in  Iowa  in  1866,  but  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age.  At 
the  age  of  twelve,  she  gave  her  trust  to  her  Saviour, 
and  served  Him  with  all  her  might  from  that  day 
on.  She  had  some  training  for  her  future  life  in  the 
Minneapolis  Training  Institute.  She  felt  called  to  go 
forth  as  a  worker  in  China,  and  finally  arrived  there  in 
connection  with  the  China  Inland  Mission  in  1894. 
She  was  ultimately  located  in  Ch'ang-shan,  in  the 
province  of  Chekiang,  where  she  was  engaged  in  the 
ordinary  work  of  the  mission  until  her  marriage  with 
Mr.  Ward  in  1897. 

The  work  took  new  life  from  that  date,  and  in  two 
years  the  number  of  church  members  and  inquirers  had 
doubled.  A  little  son,  named  Herbert  Calvin,  also  added 
much  to  their  joys,  and  became  a  great  attraction  to  the 
natives  who  surrounded  them.  It  was  thus  amidst  the 
most  hopeful  and  encouraging  circumstances  that  the 
blow  came  which  called  them  all,  as  a  united  family,  to 
enter  the  presence-chamber  of  the  King. 

Emma  Ann  Thirgood  from  her  earliest  years 
was  deeply  interested  in  spiritual  things.     As  a  scholar 


Francis  Huberty  James  473 

in  the  Sunday  school,  and  afterwards  as  a  teacher, 
she  devoted  herself  to  the  conversion  of  those  in  her 
class.  She  became  also  an  active  worker  in  connection 
with  the  Christian  Endeavour  and  Young  Christians' 
Band  in  connection  with  her  church.  In  1889  she 
sailed  for  China,  and  spent  six  months  at  the  China 
Inland  Mission  Training  Home  at  Yang-chau.  She  was 
stationed  at  Ts'ing-kiang-pu,  on  the  Grand  Canal,  and 
afterwards  at  Chi-chau,  in  the  province  of  Gan-hui.  She 
became  so  enfeebled  by  her  labours  that  she  had  to 
return  to  England  after  seven  years  in  China,  where  she 
remained  over  two  years,  returning  to  China  in  October 
1898,  and  was  then  stationed  in  Ch'ang-shan  to  help  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ward  in  the  work  there. 

THE  SIEGE  OF  PEKING 

Professor  Francis  Huberty  James  was  born 
at  Upton,  Berkshire,  in  June  185 1,  where  his  father 
kept  the  village  store.  From  his  mother  he  inherited 
his  sympathetic  disposition,  and  from  his  father  the 
tenacity  of  purpose  and  strength  of  will  which  were  his 
chief  characteristics. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  applied  for  mission 
work  in  connection  with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and 
went  to  China  under  their  auspices  in  1876.  For  the 
next  two  years  Mr.  James  travelled  over  the  greater 
part  of  North  China,  and  did  much  valuable  pioneering 
work.  He,  with  others,  did  a  good  deal  of  hard  and 
hazardous  work  in  connection  with  the  relief  of  the 
famine-stricken  sufferers  in  the  province  of  Shan-si  in 
1877.  His  labours  in  this  way  so  reduced  him  that  he 
was  compelled  to  return  to  the  coast  to  recruit. 

In  September  1878  he  married  Miss  Marie  Huberty, 
a  Belgian  lady  who  had  come  out  as  a  missionary  in 
connection  with  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  at  that 
time  took  from  her  the  name  of  Huberty  and  placed 
it  before  his  own  surname.  In  1881  he  returned  to 
England,   and    in     1883    joined    the    English    Baptist 


474    What  manner  of  Men  were  these  ? 

Mission  working  in  the  province  of  Shantung.  He  was 
first  stationed  at  Ch'ing-chou-fu,  and  afterwards  in 
Chi-nan-fu  in  that  province,  where  he  did  much  useful 
work  in  consolidating  the  native  Church  in  the  pre- 
fectural  city  and  district,  and  in  opening  up  communica- 
tion with  the  officials  in  the  provincial  capital.  In  1890 
he  prepared  a  paper,  which  was  read  at  the  Missionary 
Conference  in  Shanghai,  on  the  Secret  Sects  of  China. 
Little  did  he  anticipate  then  that  at  the  hands  of 
members  of  one  of  these  sects  he  was  to  die. 

In  1892,  owing  to  fundamental  changes  in  his 
religious  beliefs,  he  resigned  his  connection  with  the 
English  Baptist  Mission  and  returned  to  Europe.  After 
some  time  spent  in  England  and  Germany,  he  settled 
in  the  United  States,  where  he  remained  several  years, 
and  engaged  in  lecturing,  preaching,  and  literary 
work.  In  1895  he  secured  the  Lowell  Lectureship  in 
Boston,  U.S.A.,  following  the  famous  Professor  Henry 
Drummond,  and  delivered  a  series  of  lectures  on  the 
History,  Literature,  Philosophy,  and  Religions  of  China. 
These  decidedly  revealed  *  an  unusual  amount  of  careful 
research,  keen  criticism,  and  a  fine  analytical  instinct, 
combined  with  great  familiarity  with  every  important 
phase  of  Chinese  thought,  history,  and  belief.'  (These 
Lectures  are  expected  to  be  published,  the  manuscript 
being  left  in  the  competent  hands  of  Dr.  Morrison  of 
Peking.) 

In  1897,  Mr.  James  returned  to  China,  having  taken 
the  post  of  translator  at  the  Imperial  Arsenal,  near 
Shanghai.  This  position  he  held  for  about  a  year,  and 
he  was  then  invited  to  join  and  accepted  a  place  on  the 
staff  of  the  Imperial  University  in  Peking,  which 
appointment  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
in  Peking  at  the  commencement  of  the  Boxer  outbreak 
there,  and  exerted  himself  most  heroically,  along  with 
Dr.  Morrison,  in  securing  for  the  native  Christians,  some 
two  thousand  in  number,  the  shelter  of  the  force  which 
was  fighting  within  the  walls  of  the  British  Legation. 

The  Legation  authorities  naturally  did  not  relish  the 


Francis  Huberty  James  475 

idea  of  adding  to  their  already  heavy  responsibilities  the 
care  of  feeding  and  housing  so  large  a  multitude  of 
natives,  and  at  first  refused  to  undertake  it,  declaring  it 
to  be  impossible.  Undaunted  by  this  refusal,  Mr.  James 
with  Dr.  Morrison  proceeded  to  'accomplish  the  im- 
possible.' Together  they  appealed  to  Prince  Su,  whose 
palace  was  only  separated  by  a  narrow  canal  from  the 
British  Legation,  and  secured  from  the  prince  the 
permission  to  take  the  native  Christians  within  his 
spacious  premises. 

This  effort  was  a  most  happy  one  for  all  concerned, 
for  not  only  were  the  lines  of  defence  extended  and  so 
the  British  Legation  made  more  secure,  but  the  Christian 
natives  most  willingly  undertook  the  heavy  coolie  work 
of  mining  and  countermining,  and  the  still  more  arduous 
work  of  building  ramparts  of  sandbags,  without  which 
the  whole  foreign  and  native  community,  who  were 
besieged  for  two  months,  would  undoubtedly  have 
perished  from  the  assaults  of  their  enemies. 

This  was  Mr.  James'  last  and  crowning  effort.  On 
June  20,  1900,  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day  on  which  Baron  von  Ketteler  was  murdered, 
Mr.  James  left  the  British  Legation  grounds, — for  what 
purpose  no  one  seems  to  know  definitely, — and,  crossing 
the  dry  moat,  made  for  a  bridge  situated  a  little  distance 
to  the  north  of  the  Legation  gate.  He  was  met  by  some 
Chinese  soldiers,  one  of  whom  was  about  to  fire  on  him, 
when  he  threw  up  his  hands  to  show  that  he  had  no 
weapons,  and  was  seized  and  led  away.  It  is  said  that 
he  afterwards  suffered  decapitation,  by  orders  from  Jung 
Lu,  who  was  then  engaged  in  directing  the  siege  of  the 
foreigners  in  the  Legation,  and  that  his  head  was  stuck 
on  a  spear  and  exhibited  to  the  passers-by,  some  of 
whom  recognised  it. 

Honour  has  been  done  to  Mr.  James'  memory.  A 
public  meeting  was  held  in  Boston,  U.S.A.,  on  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1 901,  presided  over  by  Rev.  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  D.D.,  at  which  Rev.  Dr.  Clark  (so  well  known  in 
connection    with   the   Christian  Endeavour  Movement) 


476    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

and  other  influential  gentlemen  were  present.  The 
meeting  endorsed  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
signed  for  presentation  to  the  Chinese  Government: — 

'  At  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Boston,  we 
were  requested  to  prepare  a  memorial  which  should 
express  our  sense  of  the  value  to  mankind  of  the 
services  of  Francis  Huberty  James,  lately  Professor  of 
the  University  of  China.  Mr.  James  visited  America  in 
the  year  1893  with  the  single  object  of  interesting  us  in 
the  welfare  of  the  people  of  China.  He  knew  them  by 
having  lived  there  for  sixteen  years. 

'When  he  returned  to  China  in  1897,  the  value  of  his 
work  was  made  evident  to  the  Imperial  Government, 
and  he  was  invited  to  take  an  important  post  in  the 
Imperial  University  which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  Had  he  been  left,  his  services  to  peace  would 
have  been  invaluable  to-day.' 

Rev.  J.  Stonehouse.  While  Professor  F.  H. 
James  was  murdered  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege  of 
the  Legations  in  Peking,  Mr.  Stonehouse's  murder  may 
be  said  to  have  marked  the  close  of  that  terrible  and 
trying  ordeal :  although  it  did  not  happen  for  some 
months  afterwards,  yet  it  was  the  direct  outcome  of  the 
state  of  anarchy  of  which  the  siege  of  the  Legations  was 
the  climax.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stonehouse  with  four  children 
passed  through  all  the  horrors  of  the  siege,  which  almost 
killed  their  youngest  child. 

Mr.  Stonehouse  was  on  the  committee  for  the 
defence  of  the  British  Legation  during  the  bombard- 
ment, and  rendered  able  assistance  to  Mr.  Gamewell, 
the  chairman  of  that  committee,  in  superintending  the 
Chinese  Christians  in  their  work  on  the  fortifications. 

Mrs.  Stonehouse  and  the  children  returned  to 
England  in  the  autumn  of  1900,  but  Mr.  Stonehouse 
felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  remain  at  his  post  and  help  to 
reorganise  the  work  of  the  mission,  which  the  events 
of  the  previous  months  had  almost  destroyed.  He  had 
been  engaged  in  this  work  for  some  months,  and  was 


J.  Stonehouse  477 

at  the  time  of  his  death  visiting  some  of  the  country 
stations  under  his  care, — work  which  he  always  loved,  and 
for  which  he  seemed  specially  adapted.  On  March 
23,  1901,  he  was  crossing  the  river  Tung-huo,  near 
Lo-fa,  the  railway  station  midway  between  Peking  and 
Tien-tsin,  in  a  small  Chinese  ferry-boat,  when  a  band  of 
robbers  appeared  on  the  opposite  bank,  and,  after  several 
shots  had  been  fired,  Mr.  Stonehouse  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  some  hours  afterwards.  The  British 
troops  who  were  encamped  at  Lo-fa,  on  receiving  word 
of  this  shocking  occurrence,  sent  out  a  detachment, 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Macfarlane,  of  the  L.M.S.,  Tien-tsin, 
and  recovered  the  body,  which  was  buried  in  Peking 
on  March  27,  1901.  Mr.  Stonehouse's  funeral  was 
attended  by  a  very  representative  gathering,  including 
the  British  Minister,  Sir  Ernest  Satow,  K.C.M.G.,  and 
a  large  number  of  native  Christians. 

The  Rev.  T.  Biggin,  B.A.,  the  colleague  of  Mr. 
Stonehouse,  made  touching  reference  to  his  friend  and 
brother  in  the  address  he  made  at  his  funeral,  from 
which  we  make  some  extracts  as  follows : — 

'  I  feel  I  must  say,  however  brokenly,  what  during 
this  last  year  and  a  half  Stonehouse  has  become  to  me. 
Many  of  you  have  known  him  longer,  but  I  doubt  if 
you  have  known  him  so  intimately.  They  took  me — 
a  stranger  here — into  their  home,  and  let  me  share  their 
lives  there,  and  that  is  where  I  first  learned  his  worth  as 
a  father  and  husband,  and  these  were  the  centre  of  his 
life.  The  home  was  full  of  love,  and  his  love  was  the 
strongest  and  richest  there. 

*  It  is  only  lately  that  Stonehouse  the  missionary  has 
grown  greatly  on  me.  A  new-comer  cannot  understand 
much,  but  it  was  the  same  here  as  in  the  home — the 
Chinese  Christians  were  his  children,  and  he  loved  them 
as  he  did  his  own.  There  was  here,  as  in  the  home,  a 
certain  abruptness  that  a  careless  observer  might  mis- 
take,— and  Stonehouse  would  be  too  proud  to  heed  such 
a  man, — but  there  was  burning  beneath  the  same,  devoted, 
fervent,  and  jealous  love — greater  than  any  of  us  realise. 


478    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

These  last  few  months  have  been  to  me  a  revelation. 
With  a  work  to  do  hard  and  thankless,  but  whose  sorest 
difficulties  those  outside  his  circle  cannot  know,  he  has 
done  that  work,  and  done  it  well.  At  last,  when  the 
work  is  almost  done,  the  Master  called  him  away 
suddenly,  strangely.  Do  not  pity  him ;  he  died  at  his 
post,  as  a  man  may  wish  to  die.' 

Mr.  Stonehouse  was  a  missionary  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  stationed  at  Peking  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  was  born  in  Middlesborough  in  1854, 
and  was  trained  at  Rotherham  College.  He  was 
ordained  at  Saddleworth,  Yorkshire,  on  July  27,  1882, 
and  sailed  three  months  later  for  his  station  at  Shanghai, 
China.  Two  years  later  he  married  Miss  Gertrude  E. 
Randle  of  Huntingdon.  In  1886  he  was  removed  to 
Peking,  and  engaged  in  work  in  the  East  city  there  for 
the  next  six  years,  when  he  came  to  England  on  furlough, 
returning  to  Peking  in  1894,  where  he  remained  till  his 
death.  At  the  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  held  in  London  shortly  after  the 
news  reached  England  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  Stonehouse, 
the  Rev.  George  Cousins  expressed  the  grief  which  all 
present  felt  at  the  sad  intelligence  lately  received.  He 
said  :  '  Mr.  Stonehouse  had  gone  into  a  country  district 
near  Tien-tsin  to  relieve  famishing  native  Christians. 
He  had  done  similar  work  repeatedly  of  late,  and  had 
been  in  peril  once  or  twice.  He  had,  however,  felt  it  to 
be  his  duty  to  push  out  and  open  up  communication 
with  the  Christians  who  had  endured  so  much,  and  he 
had  acted  with  the  bravery  characteristic  of  him.'  The 
chairman,  W.  Crossfield,  J. P.,  of  Liverpool,  stated  that 
the  latest  communication  received  at  the  mission  house 
from  Mr.  Stonehouse  was  an  account  of  a  memorial 
service  to  the  native  Christian  martyrs  in  China,  and  he 
began  his  article  with  the  words,  'It  is  not  given  to 
many  Christians  to  suffer  martyrdom  for  the  cause  of 
Christ'  Mr.  Stonehouse  had  himself  now  joined  the 
band  of  martyrs. 


p.  Alfred  Ogren  479 


THE   PING-YANG-FU   AND   THE   LU-CH  ENG 
SIAO   MARTYRS 

P.  Alfred  Ogren  was  born  in  1874  at  a  little 
farm  near  Jonkoping,  the  place  noted  for  the  manu- 
facture of  '  Swedish  safety  matches.'  When  he  was 
fourteen,  his  parents  moved  into  the  city.  As  a  lad  he 
showed  a  disposition  for  study,  but  means  not  being 
forthcoming,  he  had  to  take  to  some  practical  work. 
He  became  a  carpenter,  and  laboured  as  such  until 
1892. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Jonkoping  he  was  con- 
verted, and  from  the  beginning  was  out-and-out  in 
his  confession  of  Christ.  As  a  member  of  the 
Y.M.C.A.,  his  friends  say  he  was  never  absent  from 
a  meeting,  and  was  a  diligent  labourer  in  every  depart- 
ment of  Christian  work.  Although  busy  as  a  carpenter, 
he  found  time  for  much  prayer,  Bible  study,  and 
other  educational  pursuits,  often  reading  far  into  the 
night. 

When  the  Rev.  F.  Franson  visited  Jonkoping  in 
1892,  Mr.  Ogren  responded  to  the  call  for  labourers 
abroad.  He  then  entered  with  greater  zeal  into  his 
studies. 

In  China  the  Lord  blessed  his  work,  helping  him  in 
his  study  of  the  Chinese  language,  also  Greek  and  Latin. 
He  became  a  successful  preacher.  His  colleagues  in 
China  say  that  when  he  was  spoken  of,  the  Chinese 
would — as  their  custom  is — lift  up  the  thumb  and  say, 
'  Mr.  Ogren  !  oh  yes,  he  is  a  missionary.' 

He  was  accepted  as  a  full  member  of  the  C.I.M., 
which  his  friends  in  Sweden  greatly  appreciated.  His 
day  of  service  was,  however,  limited.  To  him  has  been 
given  the  martyr's  crown.  He  leaves  a  sorrowing  widow 
and  two  children. 

When  the  tidings  reached  Jonkoping,  a  memorial 
service  was  held  at  the  Y.M.C.A.,  where  his  friends 
one  after  another  rose  and  praised  God  for  the  blessing 
Mr.  Ogren's  life  had  been. 


480    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

He  was  young,  of  humble  circumstances,  and  not 
highly  educated,  yet,  full  of  zeal,  meek  in  spirit,  abound- 
ing in  joy  in  the  Lord,  always  ready  for  service,  he 
has  left  a  memorial  more  precious  than  is  given  to 
many. 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Glover,  nie  Florence  Constance 
Kelly,  was  the  second  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Kelly. 
She  was  born  on  New  Year's  day  1872,  in  Dover, 
England.  From  the  first,  her  parents  dedicated  her 
to  God  and  His  service,  and  she  was  always  the  child 
of  much  prayer.  When  her  father  left  Dover  for  Preston 
Gobalds,  near  Shrewsbury,  she  then  took  an  active  part 
in  the  Lord's  work,  holding  classes  for  men  and  women, 
and  doing  much  visiting,  and  God  owned  and  blessed 
her  efforts. 

It  was  here,  in  1894,  she  married  Rev.  A.  E.  Glover, 
M.A.,  one  of  the  curates  of  the  Rev.  Prebendary  Webb- 
Peploe.  One  of  the  links  which  drew  these  two  souls 
together  was  their  common  desire  to  preach  and  live  for 
Christ  in  China. 

In  1896  the  way  seemed  opened  for  Mr.  Glover  to 
proceed  to  China,  under  the  auspices  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  and  he  was  settled  in  Lu-an,  along  with 
Mr.  Stanley  Smith,  well  known  in  connection  with  the 
mission  as  one  of '  the  Cambridge  seven.' 

A  year  later,  Mrs.  Glover,  with  two  children,  a  baby 
boy  and  a  little  girl,  joined  her  husband  in  China, 
worked  quietly  at  the  language,  and  later  had  classes  for 
women,  and  visited  among  them  in  the  city  and  sur- 
rounding villages.  Only  three  short  years  of  service  did 
they  have  together,  and  then  came  the  final  trial  which 
ended  in  the  '  martyr's  crown.' 

Hattie  Jane  Rice  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
U.S.A.,  where  she  was  born  in  1858,  and  was  thus 
at  her  death  forty-two  years  of  age.  In  1888,  while 
attending  Mr.  Moody's  Convention  at  Northfield,  she 
heard    Mr.    Hudson   Taylor   speak,   and   then  decided 


Mary  E.  Huston  481 

to  give  herself  to  her  Master's  service  in  China.  In 
1892  she  left  for  China  in  connection  with  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  and  became  located  in  Lu-ch'eng,  in 
the  province  of  Shan-si, — first  of  all  along  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lawson  of  the  same  mission,  and  subsequently 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  and  Miss  Huston,  after  the 
Lawsons  had  left  on  furlough. 

A  fellow-worker  in  a  neighbouring  station  thus 
writes  of  her  :  '  Always  a  busy  worker  in  the  villages, 
I  am  sure  there  are  many  who  have  been  led  to  know 
Jesus  as  their  Saviour  through  her  instrumentality.  .  .  . 
In  a  time  of  great  trial,  she  was  a  great  comfort  to  me, 
and  always  ready  with  some  word  to  help  and  en- 
courage.' 

Another  writer  says:  'For  some  time  after  the 
absence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  on  furlough,  Miss  Rice 
bravely  carried  on  the  work  alone,  which  must  have 
been  no  light  strain  to  one  naturally  nervous  as  she  was. 
That  she  could  do  this  was  owing  to  her  deep  heart- 
rest  in  the  Lord.  She  was  much  respected  by  the 
people,  and  most  conscientious  in  steady,  plodding  work, 
both  among  the  opium  patients  at  Lu-ch'eng,  and  in 
visiting  the  members  of  the  church  in  their  homes  in 
the  country.' 

Mary  E.  Huston  was  born  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  U.S.A.,  in  1866.  In  1894  she  entered  the 
Gospel  Training  School  at  Abilene,  Kansas,  and  had 
as  a  fellow-student  Miss  Troyer,  who  afterwards  became 
Mrs.  Young,  and  who  also  suffered  martyrdom  in  Shan-si 
about  the  same  time  as  her  college  companion.  Miss 
Huston  sailed  for  China  in  connection  with  the  China 
Inland  Mission  in  December  1895,  and  was,  after  the 
usual  course  of  study  at  Yang-chau,  appointed  to  Lu-an 
in  Shan-si.  However,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawson  left 
Lu-ch'eng  on  furlough,  it  was  arranged  for  Miss  Huston 
to  join  Miss  Rice  in  that  city.  This  arrangement  proved 
a  most  happy  one,  and  a  friendship  ripened  between 
them  which  was  most  helpful  to  each. 

31 


482    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

Miss  Huston  is  described  as  '  a  woman  with  a  big 
warm  heart  and  devoted  to  children.'  She  found  scope 
for  her  motherly  love  and  unselfishness  in  nursing  the 
opium  patients  in  the  refuge.  She  too  worked  hard 
at  the  language,  and  made  good  progress.  She  also 
spent  much  time  in  the  villages  amongst  the  Chinese 
women,  and  could  hardly  be  persuaded  to  take  a 
holiday. 

On  that  terrible  journey  to  Hankow,  when  Miss 
Huston  with  Miss  Rice  got  separated  from  the 
others  of  Mr.  Saunders'  party,  Miss  Huston,  at  the 
time  that  Miss  Rice  was  beaten  to  death,  got  severely 
wounded.  After  she  had  done  what  she  could  for  Miss 
Rice's  poor  battered  body,  she  endeavoured  to  make 
her  way  to  Tseh-chau.  While  on  the  road,  she  met 
some  men  who  had  been  sent  from  Tseh-cheu  by  the 
magistrate  to  bring  her  some  clothing,  and  to  bury 
the  body  of  Miss  Rice.  Miss  Huston  was  then  taken 
to  a  temple,  and  the  gods  consulted  as  to  her  fate. 
The  decree  being  favourable,  she  was  saved  from 
death  by  violence  at  that  time,  and  was  carried  on 
a  stretcher  till  she  rejoined  her  party.  Two  days, 
however,  before  reaching  Hankow  she  died  of  exhaus- 
tion, and  was  buried  in  the  foreign  cemetery  in  that 
place. 

One  who  was  with  her  in  her  last  hours  writes: 
'  She  said  to  me  again  and  again  that  it  was  a  great 
joy  to  her  to  be  counted  worthy  to  have  fellowship 
with  Christ  in  His  sufferings.'  The  same  writer  says  : 
'  Miss  Huston  was  very  bright  and  affectionate.  She 
was  always  ready  to  shower  love  on  all  who  came 
within  her  reach.  From  the  first  the  Chinese  children 
loved  her  dearly,  and  long  ere  she  could  make  herself 
fully  understood,  she  gathered  the  little  ones  round 
her  on  Sunday  afternoons  and  taught  them  what  she 
could.  It  was  sweet  to  hear  the  school  children  call 
her  "  Auntie."  They  would  climb  on  her  knees,  play 
with  her  clothing,  and  fondle  her,  just  as  children 
elsewhere    do    with   those    they    love.'      Through   her 


Mrs.  E.  J.  Cooper  483 

loving  ways,  not  a  few  were  gained  for  God  and  His 
cause. 

Mrs.  E.  J.  Cooper,  n^e  M.  Palmer,  arrived  in 
China  December  1887.  During  the  voyage  out,  she  did 
what  she  could  in  speaking  for  Christ  to  those  who  were 
her  fellow-voyagers  on  board  ship,  and  this  although 
she  suffered  much  from  sea-sickness  on  the  way.  After 
four  months'  study  at  the  Training  Home  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission  in  Yang-chau,  she  took  up  work  in  the 
Receiving  Home  at  the  headquarters  of  the  mission 
in  Shanghai.  Her  services  there  are  lovingly  remem- 
bered by  many  who  came  under  her  care,  as  she  did 
all  in  her  power  to  help  every  one,  even  the  Chinese 
servants. 

In  1 89 1  she  married  Mr.  E.  J.  Cooper,  who  joined 
the  mission  in  1888,  and  as  he  was  originally  an  archi- 
tect by  profession,  was  engaged  in  erecting  the  present 
headquarters  of  the  C.I.M.  in  Shanghai. 

The  home  of  the  Coopers  became  a  centre  of 
Christian  influence,  especially  amongst  the  sailors,  many 
of  whom  date  their  conversion  from  the  evenings  spent 
in  their  house.  After  a  time,  as  a  building  for  the  mission 
was  required  in  Hankow,  their  quarters  were  transferred 
there,  and  subsequently  they  resided  in  Chefoo,  where 
Mr.  Cooper's  talents  were  worthily  employed  in 
designing  and  raising  the  noble  buildings  in  which  the 
Boys'  and  Girls'  Schools  of  the  C.I.M.  are  now  amply 
accommodated. 

While  her  husband  was  engaged  in  this  work  at 
Chefoo,  Mrs.  Cooper  was  for  a  time  left  in  charge  of  the 
sanatorium  at  that  place.  All  this  work  was,  however, 
undertaken  as  a  necessary  duty,  while  really  their 
hearts  were  set  on  the  work  in  the  interior  amongst 
the  heathen.  This  long-cherished  wish  was  fulfilled 
on  their  return  from  England  in  1899,  when  they 
were  appointed  to  the  station  of  Lu-ch'eng  in  Shan-si, 
which  they  finally  reached  only  a  few  months  before 
they  were  compelled  to  take  that  awful  journey  which 


484    What  manner  of  Men  were  these? 

ended  in  Mrs.  Cooper's  death,  and  that  of  their  nearly 
two-years-old  boy,  named  Ernest  Brainerd.  The  two 
found  also  their  last  resting-place  in  the  foreign  cemetery 
in  Hankow. 

While  wounded  and  suffering  on  her  last  journey, 
Mrs.  Cooper  said  to  her  husband,  '  If  the  Lord  spares  us, 
I  should  like  to  go  back  to  Lu-ch'eng  if  possible.' 


CHAPTER   XXII 

Reflections  and  Forecasts 

That  the  missionary  body  in  China  in  1900  passed 
through  a  most  serious  crisis,  was  apparent  to  the  most 
superficial  observer.  That  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
reactionaries  in  the  Imperial  Court  to  expel  by  force 
not  merely  all  missionaries  from  the  interior,  but  even  all 
foreigners  from  China,  seems  to  be  almost  certain.  The 
advisers  of  the  Court  supposed  that  the  immense  pre- 
ponderance which  China  possessed  in  point  of  numbers 
was  sufficient,  if  exerted,  to  defy  all  the  might  of  all  the 
Powers  of  Europe.  England  was  understood  to  be  fully 
occupied  in  the  Transvaal ;  Russia  had  not  yet  completed 
the  Siberian  railway  ;  France  and  other  nations  were 
perhaps  less  interested,  might  possibly  be  indifferent,  and 
at  any  rate  might  be  treated  without  much  ceremony. 

The  Boxer  movement  was  skilfully  utilised,  and 
turned  from  a  possible  danger  to  the  dynasty,  to  active 
participation  in  its  defence.  The  eighth  day  of  the 
intercalary  eighth  moon  was  said  to  be  the  date  fixed  as 
the  auspicious  or  lucky  day  for  a  simultaneous  uprising. 
Events,  however,  forced  the  hands  of  the  conspirators. 
The  Boxers  in  their  new-born  zeal  could  not  be  held  in 
check,  and  so  what  was  intended  as  a  catastrophe  became 
very  much  like  a  fiasco.  '  China  against  the  world '  was 
intended  for  an  astounding   assertion   of  strength,  but 

485 


486         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

speedily  degenerated  into  a  contemptible  exhibition  of 
weakness,  and  merely  showed  the  utter  madness  and 
folly  of  those  who  were  responsible  for  its  initiation. 
That  China  had  such  statesmen  as  Chang  Chih  Tung, 
Liu  K'un-i,  Tuan  Fang,  Governor  of  Shen-si,  and  Yuan 
Shih  K'ai,  Governor  of  Shantung,  is,  under  God,  the 
reason  why  she  is  not  now  dismembered  and  brought  to 
irreparable  ruin. 

The  weight  of  the  intended  blow  fell  on  the  help- 
less and  unoffending  missionaries  and  their  converts, 
especially  in  the  province  of  Shan-si.  There  it  was  the 
work  of  the  infamous  Yu  Hsien  and  his  likeminded 
colleagues,  backed  by  the  usual  truculent  and  cowardly 
ruffians  who  are  always  ready  to  act  when  restraint  is 
removed  and  encouragement  given.  Of  the  total  number 
of  Protestant  missionaries  and  their  families  who  suffered 
martyrdom  in  this  uprising,  one  hundred  and  two 
adults  and  forty-one  children  were  killed  in  the  province 
of  Shan-si  alone,  besides  about  four  hundred  Protestant 
Christian  converts  and  thousands  of  Catholic  Christians. 
Outside  Shan-si,  with  the  exception  of  Pao-ting-fu  in 
Chih-li  and  Chu-chou-fu  in  Chekiang,  the  missionaries 
in  nearly  all  cases  escaped  with  their  lives. 

Destruction  of  mission  property  was  more  wide- 
spread, and  the  death-roll  of  Christian  natives  was  ex- 
tended by  additions  from  at  least  all  the  northern 
provinces.  Manchuria  perhaps  suffered  in  this  way 
more  severely  than  any  other  part  of  the  Empire. 
The  cities  of  Peking  and  Tien-tsin,  owing  to  the 
military  operations,  were  severely  handled,  and  the 
destruction  caused  by  the  ravages  of  war  in  those  places 
will  take  a  considerable  time  and  heavy  expenditure  to 
restore  to  anything  like  their  former  condition.  Mis- 
sionary property  in  the  province  of  Chih-ii  was  almost 


The  Siege  in  Peking  487 

entirely  destroyed.  Pei-tai-ho,  the  summer  resort  of  the 
Tien-tsin  people  and  largely  frequented  by  missionaries, 
was  ravaged  by  looters. 

When,  however,  the  possibilities  of  damage  are  con- 
sidered, and  also  the  entire  helplessness  of  the  mission- 
aries and  their  converts  throughout  the  interior  provinces 
in  the  hands  of  those  who  were  their  enemies,  we  can 
only  be  devoutly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  loss 
of  life  was  not  even  greater,  and  the  area  affected  so 
restricted.  Well  might  we  say  with  the  Psalmist,  '  If  it 
had  not  been  the  Lord  who  was  on  our  side,  when  men 
rose  up  against  us  :  then  they  had  swallowed  us  up  alive ' 
(Ps.  cxxiv.  2,  3,  R.V.).  As  an  illustration  of  the  restrain- 
ing hand  of  Divine  Providence  over  what  seemed  the 
unrestrained  purposes  of  lawless  men,  the  siege  in  Peking 
stands  conspicuous.  When  all  praise  has  been  rendered 
for  the  bold  and  heroic  stand  made  by  a  mere  handful 
of  troops  against  the  '  fearful  odds '  arrayed  against 
them,  it  is  evident  to  any  candid  mind  that  the  Legations 
in  Peking  could  have  been  taken  and  destroyed,  and  all 
within  them  massacred,  as  it  was  with  too  much  prob- 
ability supposed  that  they  had  been,  if  a  determined 
and  simultaneous  rush  had  been  made  by  the  forces  be- 
sieging them,  any  time  within  the  two  months  of  the  siege. 
The  cowardice  of  the  assailants  will  not  sufficiently 
account  for  the  fact  that  this  was  not  done,  and  to 
the  devout  mind  it  seems  almost  miraculous,  that  with 
an  enemy  so  close,  with  destructive  weapons  of  the 
latest  pattern  so  numerous,  and  supplies  of  ammunition 
so  abundant,  so  little  damage  was  done  and  so  few  lives 
were  lost. 

The  sovereign  mercy  of  God  was  seen,  not  only  in 
sparing  the  lives  of  the  foreign  community  sheltered  in 
the  Legations,  amongst  whom  were  so  many  missionaries 


488         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

with  their  wives  and  families,  but  also  in  preventing  the 
Chinese  from  committing  an  act  of  unparalleled  atrocity 
which  would  have  deserved  and  most  certainly  have 
received  condign  punishment.  Another  reason  for  pro- 
found thankfulness  is  the  fact  that,  although  so  many 
foreign  nations  were  concerned  in  the  punishment  of 
the  Chinese  Government,  and  such  antagonistic  elements 
as  German  and  French,  British  and  Russian,  prominently 
engaged  in  the  military  operations  and  subsequent 
negotiations,  yet  peace  was  happily  preserved  amongst 
them,  and  no  European  complications  arose  out  of  it,  as 
there  was  frequently  too  much  reason  to  fear  might  be 
the  case.  A  protocol  was  signed  as  honourable  to  the 
Powers  concerned  as  it  is  moderate  and  merciful  to  the 
Chinese,  who  had  every  reason  to  expect  much  more 
onerous  terms. 

The  weight  of  the  outburst  of  persecution  against 
the  Native  Christian  Church  fell  mainly  on  those  con- 
verts who  resided  in  the  provinces  of  Shan-si,  Chih-li, 
Manchuria,  and  a  section  of  Shantung.  All  others  were, 
comparatively,  undisturbed ;  and  in  those  provinces 
referred  to  the  loss  of  life  was  not  overwhelming,  and 
large  numbers  of  Christians  escaped  at  least  with  their 
lives. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  as  providential  that  the 
outbreak  occurred  in  the  summer-time,  when  the  fields 
were  clothed  with  tall  millet,  which  not  only  afforded 
concealment  to  many  fugitives,  but  also  food  in  their 
distress.  Had  the  wave  of  persecution  burst  in  winter 
the  fields  would  have  been  bare,  and  escape  almost 
impossible,  and  consequently  the  loss  of  life  would  have 
been  even  more  appalling. 

The  Boxer  uprising,  which  developed  with  such 
extraordinary  and    even    portentous    rapidity,    was    as 


Divisions  among  the  Boxers       489 

speedily  suppressed.  In  Shantung  the  vigorous  measures 
of  Governor  Yuan  Shih  K'ai  held  the  movement  in 
check  for  a  time,  and  eventually  crushed  it.  In  Shan-si 
the  flight  of  the  Court  from  Peking  gave  pause  to  the 
violent  action  of  Yii  Hsien,  and  the  taking  by  the 
German  troops  of  the  Kukuan  Pass  through  the 
mountains  on  the  road  to  T'ai  Yuen  Fu  led  to  a  panic 
amongst  the  officials  which  caused  many  of  them  to  seek 
safety  in  flight.     Then  all  persecution  suddenly  ceased. 

In  Manchuria  the  Boxers  were  divided  into  the  Tsai 
Li  and  I  Ho  Chuan  sects,  and  these  finally  quarrelled 
and  fought  with  each  other.  Anarchy  would  soon  have 
prevailed  in  the  province  had  not  the  Russians  sent 
troops,  which  scattered  the  bands  of  plunderers  and 
blackmailers  into  which  the  Boxers  had  finally  degener- 
ated. In  Shen-si,  the  Governor,  Tuan  Fang,  although 
a  Manchu,  had  the  courage  to  suppress  the  edict  of 
extermination  against  foreigners  issued  by  the  Govern- 
ment, and  by  his  strenuous  exertions  is  said  to  have 
saved  the  lives  of  over  two  hundred  missionaries  and 
their  families,  who  were  resident  in  or  passing  through 
his  jurisdiction. 

Of  course  other  Governors,  such  as  Chang  Chih 
Tung,  Liu  K'un-i,  and  Yuan  Shih  K'ai,  were  equally 
courageous  in  suppressing  the  edict  already  referred  to, 
and  it  is  owing  to  the  action  of  such  far-seeing  and 
patriotic  statesmen  that  the  Boxer  uprising  was  kept 
within  bounds,  and  multitudes  of  innocent  and  helpless 
people  preserved  from  a  cruel  and  violent  death. 

That  the  Emperor  was  finally  restored  to  his  rightful 
place  in  Peking,  after  all  the  vicissitudes  which  had  been 
his  lot  in  the  last  few  years,  was,  we  think,  a  cause  for 
praise  and  gratitude  to  God.  If  what  is  reported  is  true, 
that  he  feels  that  he  has  a  great  work  to  perform  in  the 


490         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

restoration  of  his  nation  to  an  honourable  place  amongst 
the  nations  of  the  world,  and  that  he  has  been  preserved 
from  a  violent  end  in  order  to  fulfil  this  mission,  then 
the  expressions  of  devout  reverence  and  gratitude  to  a 
higher  Power  with  which  he  is  credited  are  natural  and 
becoming,  and  augur  well  for  the  commencement  and 
continuance  of  important  measures  of  reform.  These 
measures  have  indeed  already  begun,  and  are  being 
vigorously  and  successfully  pushed  in  many  directions, 
and  even  in  most  unlooked-for  places. 

Shan-si,  the  centre  and  vortex  of  the  storm  of  perse- 
cution and  anti-foreign  violence,  is  to-day  occupying  a 
prominent  position  in  inaugurating  measures  of  educa- 
tional reform.  The  Rev.  Timothy  Richard,  D.D.,  had  the 
honour  of  being  specially  called  upon  in  May  1901  to 
propose  terms  which  the  Chinese  Government  might 
accept  as  a  settlement  for  the  claims  which  the  awful 
tragedies  enacted  in  the  Shan-si  province  in  the  previous 
year  had  made  imperative.  The  terms  proposed  were 
so  generous  and  reasonable  that  they  were  immediately 
accepted  by  the  authorities,  and  the  sum  of  £66,000 
was  at  once  set  apart  for  the  founding  and  equipment 
of  a  Government  University  in  T'ai  Yuen  Fu,  and  the 
whole  arrangement  of  the  project  was  left  in  Dr.  Richard's 
hands.  Thus  the  policy  of  sound  education  based  on 
Christian  principles  was  the  answer  which  Christian 
missionaries  gave  to  the  ignorance  and  fanaticism 
which  were  mainly  responsible  for  the  awful  scenes 
enacted  in  Shan-si  in  the  closing  year  of  the  century. 

In  Shantung  the  new  educational  policy  has  been 
actively  pushed  forward.  The  college  in  the  provincial 
capital  began  in  temporary  premises  with  over  a  hundred 
students  in  residence.  New  buildings  to  hold  at  least 
three  hundred  resident  students  have  been  built,  and  as 


Signs  of  Progress  491 

time  goes  on  and  men  and  means  are  forthcoming, 
colleges  are  to  be  erected  in  every  prefectural  city  and 
county  town  in  the  province. 

In  Shanghai  a  site  has  been  given  by  the  municipality, 
and  funds  have  been  subscribed  by  wealthy  Chinese  and 
foreign  merchants,  to  erect  a  college  for  the  instruction 
of  five  hundred  Chinese  students.  Other  schools  for 
Chinese  children  and  a  public  library  for  Chinese  are 
also  in  course  of  construction  in  Shanghai,  from  funds 
provided  for  the  most  part  by  wealthy  and  public- 
spirited  Chinese  gentry. 

Other  parts  of  China,  notably  Canton  and  the 
authorities  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  are  beginning  to 
move  in  educational  matters.  Imperial  decrees  have 
been  issued  abolishing  the  'Wen-chang,'  or  literary 
essays,  which  have  formed  from  time  immemorial  the 
principal  feature  in  the  Government  examinations,  and 
substituting  for  these  a  knowledge  of  'Western  laws, 
constitutions,  and  political  economy.'  All  the 
provincial  capitals  are  to  have  properly  equipped 
universities  for  Western  learning,  and  all  existing 
Government  school  buildings  are  to  be  at  present 
utilised  for  these  purposes. 

Military  examinations  are  to  be  in  future  tests  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  candidates  in  tactics  and  strategy, 
not  absurd  exhibitions  of  skill  in  the  use  of  bow  and 
arrow  and  feats  of  strength,  as  they  have  been  heretofore. 

Another  decree  is  to  the  effect  that  young  men  of 
ability  are  to  be  selected  in  all  the  provinces,  and  sent 
to  Western  lands  at  Government  expense,  to  be  trained 
for  the  future  service  of  the  Empire.  This  decree  has 
been  anticipated  and  acted  on  by  Chang  Chih  Tung; 
the  late  Liu  K'un-i,  and  the  Manchu  Governor  of  the 
province    of    Such'uan,   named    K'uei   Chun,   who   arc 


492         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

specially  mentioned  in  the  edict  referred  to,  and  com- 
mended for  the  patriotic  action  they  have  already  taken. 

Another  sign  of  the  marvellous  change  now  passing 
over  China  has  been  the  extension  of  the  postal  system 
in  most  of  the  provinces  of  the  Empire.  And  this 
took  place  amid  the  disasters  of  the  Boxer  disturbances, 
and  the  inevitable  difficulties  of  the  initiation  of  new 
means  of  postal  communication.  Communication  by 
letter  with  the  outside  world  is  now  convenient,  cheap, 
and  fairly  reliable.  English-speaking  clerks  are  to  be 
found  in  most  places  where  foreigners  reside,  and  the 
extension  of  the  postal  system  to  the  whole  eighteen 
provinces  is  merely,  let  us  hope,  a  matter  of  a  year  or 
two. 

Telegraphic  communication  has  been  maintained  and 
extended  throughout  the  Empire,  and  is  steadily  gaining 
in  public  favour.  A  communication  in  English  can  now 
be  sent  by  wire  to  any  country  in  the  world  where  the 
telegraph  is  in  operation,  from  most  if  not  all  the  large 
cities  of  China. 

Railways  are  slowly  creeping  into  prominence.  In 
Manchuria  the  new  Russian  line  is  complete,  and  the 
Germans  are  pushing  on  their  trunk  line  through 
Shantung.  The  great  railway  from  Peking  to  Hankow 
is  being  proceeded  with,  and  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
that  the  Emperor  in  returning  from  Hsi-ngan-fu  to 
Peking  used  this  line  for  the  last  part  of  his  journey. 
Another  great  trunk  line  between  Hankow  and  Canton 
is  projected,  and  is  even  now  (1904)  in  process  of 
construction. 

Inland  steam  navigation,  long  resisted  by  the  Chinese, 
has  now  become  an  accomplished  fact.  The  Yang-tzu 
gorges  can  be  passed  with  comparative  ease  and  safety 
in  suitable   steam    vessels,   and    in   as    many   days   as 


Missionary  Work  resumed         493 

it  formerly  took  weeks  to  accomplish.  Other  rivers, 
canals,  and  lakes  are  now  being  traversed  in  this  way, 
and  rapid  and  cheap  communication  for  passengers  and 
goods  is  gradually  becoming  an  important  factor  in 
everyday  life  in  China. 

As  soon  as  the  Boxer  movement  collapsed  and  the 
excitement  caused  by  it  had  subsided,  missionaries  whose 
work  had  been  stopped,  mainly  in  the  northern  and 
north-western  provinces,  began  to  return,  until  in  a 
short  time  everywhere  in  the  eighteen  provinces  work 
was  resumed.  The  missionaries  on  their  return  were 
uniformly  received  with  ostentatious  respect  by  officials 
and  gentry,  in  marked  contrast,  at  least  in  some  places, 
to  the  hostility  shown  by  many  of  the  same  people  only 
a  few  months  previously. 

Missionary  work  has  not  only  been  resumed,  claims 
for  compensation,  where  these  were  made,  were  settled 
with  a  fairness  and  promptitude  which  left  little  ground 
for  reasonable  complaint.  The  native  Christians,  who 
suffered  by  far  the  heaviest  part  of  the  catastrophe,  for  the 
most  part  stood  the  test  with  a  patience,  courage,  and 
fortitude  worthy  of  all  praise.  While,  under  pressure 
of  persecution  and  appalling  danger,  many  native 
Christians  gave  way  to  their  fears  and  outwardly 
abjured  their  faith  and  denied  their  Lord,  yet  by  far 
the  larger  number  of  these  have  been  reclaimed,  and 
have  in  tears  and  bitterness  of  heart  confessed  their  sin, 
and  received  forgiveness.  Recantation  was,  alas  !  too 
common,  yet  the  roll  of  native  converts  who  freely  gave 
their  lives  and  suffered  as  martyrs  for  the  cause  of  God 
was  as  illustrious  as  in  any  previous  age  of  the  history 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  the  proportion  of  those 
faithful  unto  death  as  high.  There  is  reason,  therefore, 
for    devout    thankfulness    that    so  many   were   strong 


494         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

enough  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  Christ's  sake,  and  that 
the  native  Church  has  suffered  less  than  was  feared,  and 
has  come  forth  from  the  fiery  trial,  chastened  and 
subdued,  perhaps,  but  all  the  purer  and  richer  in  the 
Divine  life  for  the  experiences  they  have  passed 
through. 

The  next  decade  will  probably  bring  great  and 
marvellous  changes  in  the  life  and  character  of  the 
Chinese  people.  Education  is  taking  a  new  place  in  the 
thoughts  and  plans  of  responsible  Chinese  statesmen. 
Everywhere  Western  learning  is  superseding  the  old 
leaven  of  Confucianism,  and  the  demand  for  foreign 
literature  is  almost  as  great  as  before  the  coup 
d'etat  in  1898.  As  the  new  educational  movement 
is  largely  in  the  hands  of  missionaries,  it  may  be  con- 
fidently anticipated  that  the  next  generation  will  be 
largely  influenced  towards  a  favourable  reception  of 
Christianity,  and  *  The  miracle  of  China  Christianised 
in  fifty  years,'  to  which  Sir  Robert  Hart  referred  in 
one  of  his  recent  articles,  will,  we  may  devoutly  hope, 
be  successfully  accomplished.  Whether  that  actually 
occurs  or  not  within  the  stated  time,  it  seems  almost 
certain  that  the  next  fifty  years  will  see  changes  such  as 
have  not  occurred  in  China  in  previous  millenniums. 

Evangelisation  will  be  more  rapid,  as  the  means  of 
communication,  such  as  railways  and  good  roads,  are 
introduced,  and  the  cry  of  '  China  for  Christ  in  this 
generation '  has  thus  better  prospect  of  realisation  than 
ever  before.  The  Christian  Churches  in  Western  lands 
will,  we  trust,  be  roused  to  adequately  seize  the  oppor- 
tunities awaiting  them,  and  push  forward  their  choice 
young  men  and  women  for  the  great  work  now  before 
them,  and  sustain  them  in  their  efforts  until  their  designs 
be  accomplished. 


Great  Future  Promise  495 

Statistics  prove  that  converts  have  more  than 
doubled  within  the  last  ten  years,  and  if  this  rate  of 
progress  be  continued  the  aim  will  be  easily  attained  ; 
but  may  we  not  anticipate  that  progress  will  be  in 
geometric  proportion,  and  that  therefore  the  final  issue 
will  be  sooner  realised  ? 

Already  there  are  signs  that  idolatry  is  everywhere 
becoming  discredited.  The  writer  in  his  itinerating 
work  has  observed  frequently,  and  it  is  a  common 
experience,  that  the  mention  of  the  worship  of  idols  in 
the  heathen  temples  usually  excites  a  laugh  or  a  smile 
in  the  hearers,  as  if  the  thing  itself  were  ridiculous,  a 
sure  sign  of  decay  in  belief,  and  a  precursor  of  a  speedy 
and  final  overturning  of  the  system. 

During  the  persecutions  it  was  observed  that  the 
priests  of  the  heathen  temples  were  the  most  active  and 
bitter  in  their  efforts  to  extinguish  the  new  light.  This 
proves  that  the  vigorous  propagandism  carried  on  by 
Protestant  missionaries  during  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century  has  been  so  successful  as  to  excite  the  jealous 
hate  of  those  who  are  about  to  be  superseded. 

There  is  every  reason  to  expect  a  great  extension 
of  missionary  work  in  every  direction  throughout  the 
eighteen  provinces  of  China.  Everywhere  missionaries 
are  penetrating.  Hunan,  so  long  the  stronghold  of 
anti-foreign  opposition,  has  completely  capitulated,  and 
missionaries  are  now  triumphantly  occupying  Ch'ang- 
Sha,  the  capital  of  that  province,  and  many  other 
important  centres  in  it — a  fact  which  a  year  or  two  ago 
appeared  impossible. 

Shan-si,  where  mission  work  has  been  so  arduous, 
and  the  results  of  long  years  of  labour  seemed  only 
beginning  to  appear,  furnished  more  martyrs  than  any 
other  province  in    China   in    the   history  of  Protestant 


496         Reflections  and  Forecasts 

missions  in  that  land,  and  the  prospects  of  speedy 
extension  were  never  more  promising  than  now.  The 
change  in  the  attitude  of  the  officials,  and  the  consequent 
absence  of  opposition,  give  great  hope  for  the  success  of 
missionary  effort  in  the  near  future. 

Shantung,  Chih-li,  and  Manchuria  are  being  opened 
up  in  a  way  which  would  have  seemed  incredible  ten 
years  ago.  Railways  are  piercing  a  pathway  through 
each  of  these  provinces ;  mines  are  being  opened,  and 
coal,  iron,  and  other  minerals  are  being  obtained  in 
abundance — thus  affording  easy  communication  and  a 
means  of  livelihood  to  multitudes. 

The  new  cities  of  Tsing-tau  and  Dalny  vie  in 
prosperity  with  the  older  commercial  centre  of  Tien-tsin  ; 
the  latter,  however,  by  skilful  and  daring  use  of  the 
opportunities  which  recent  events  have  afforded,  and 
by  means  of  the  Provisional  Government,  the  new  River 
Conservancy  works,  and  other  innovations,  seems  de- 
termined to  hold  its  own  against  all  comers. 

Missionary  enterprise  has  not  and  will  not  lag 
behind  commercial  enterprise  in  any  of  these  provinces, 
but  from  present  appearances  will  be  prosecuted  with 
redoubled  vigour,  and  undoubtedly  with  even  more 
success  than  has  ever  yet  been  attained,  though  these 
results  have  already  been  more  conspicuous  in  these 
northern  provinces  than  in  other  parts  of  China. 

Missionaries  throughout  China  are  combining  in  a 
way  never  known  before.  A  missionary  organisation 
having  its  headquarters  in  Shanghai  already  acts  as 
the  mouthpiece  of  almost  the  entire  body  of  Protestant 
missionaries  now  working  in  the  eighteen  provinces, 
and  gives  promise  of  becoming  a  means  of  focus- 
sing opinion  and  voicing  convictions  which  will  be 
more   impressive,   when   the   fact  is  realised  that  they 


A  Great  Epoch  497 

are  the  utterance  of  the  United  Protestant  Church  of 

China.  ^  ,  , 

Surely  the  events  of  the  sorrowful  years  1900  and 
1901,  and  the  sufferings  so  patiently  and  bravely  borne, 
may 'be  looked  upon  as  but  the  birth-pangs  of  a  new 
era  in  China. 


32 


APPENDIX    I 

The  Memorial  Services  for  the  Martyrs 

I.  t'ai-yuen-fu 

Exactly  a  year  later  than  the  massacre,  on  July  9, 
1 90 1,  a  party  of  missionaries,  representing  the  various 
Missions  concerned,  entered  T'ai-yuen-fu,  at  the  invita- 
tion of  the  Governor  of  the  province  of  Shan-si,  and 
were  received  with  every  mark  of  respect.  After  paying 
and  receiving  complimentary  visits  to  and  from  the 
officials  of  the  city,  arrangements  were  made  for  the 
memorial  services  for  the  martyred  dead,  and  by  the 
evening  of  July  17  everything  was  ready.  Outside 
the  west  gate  of  the  entrance  to  the  Governor's  Yamen, 
and  near  the  place  of  the  massacre,  a  large  pavilion  had 
been  erected,  stretching  across  the  street.  About  fifty 
yards  farther  to  the  south-west  is  the  Prefect's  Yamen. 
The  centre  of  the  inner  court  of  this  Yamen  had  been 
covered  with  an  awning,  under  which  were  arranged 
twenty  silk  banners,  about  twelve  feet  high,  on  which 
were  inscribed  in  gilt  letters  the  names  of  the  Protestant 
martyrs,  both  foreign  and  Chinese.  The  officials  had 
also  prepared  a  number  of  wreaths,  which  were  placed 
on  wooden  frames  and  covered  with  cloth. 

About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Thursday, 
July  18,  nine  sedan  chairs,  each  having  four  bearers, 
were  brought  to  the  place  where  the  missionary  party 
lodged,  and  in  these  they  were  carried  to  the  Prefect's 
Yamen.     At  the  Yamen  they  passed  through  a  court 

decorated  with  wreaths  and  banners  to  a  hall,  where 

499 


500  Appendix 

they  were  courteously  received  by  all  the  officials  of 
the  city  except  the  Governor,  who  was  absent,  but  who 
sent  a  written  apology  for  the  crimes  which  had  been 
committed  by  Yii  Hsien,  which  was  read  at  the  graves 
of  the  martyrs. 

When  all  was  arranged,  the  procession  started,  headed 
by  a  hundred  soldiers,  who  had  had  some  smattering  of 
foreign  drill,  and  who  marched  in  fairly  good  order  to 
the  sound  of  drum  and  bugle.  The  officials  followed 
in  their  sedan  chairs,  and  after  them  came  the  memorial 
banners  and  wreaths.  The  foreigners,  as  chief  mourners, 
came  last,  and  the  procession  was  closed  by  about  thirty 
cavalry. 

A  halt  was  made  at  the  pavilion  near  the  Governor's 
Yamen,  and  a  short  service  was  held  on  the  spot  where 
the  massacre  took  place.  The  missionary  who  con- 
ducted the  service  stood  on  a  raised  platform,  and  in 
front  were  ranged  in  order  of  rank  the  officials  and 
other  functionaries,  and  at  the  back  of  all  the  street 
was  densely  packed  with  spectators.  How  different 
the  scene  then  to  the  sight  many  of  the  bystanders  saw 
about  a  year  before  !  Then  the  martyrs  stood  pale  and 
silent  in  presence  of  their  persecutors ;  now  the  officials 
stood  silent  and  abashed  in  presence  of  the  missionaries. 
The  contrast  was  striking,  and  to  the  thoughtful  must 
have  afforded  suitable  food  for  reflection. 

The  service  ended,  the  procession  re-formed,  and 
passed  through  the  city  and  out  of  the  east  gate  to  the 
newly  prepared  cemetery,  about  two  miles  distant,  where 
the  remains  of  the  martyrs  had  been  buried.  It  took 
the  procession  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half  to  reach  the 
spot,  and  on  arrival  the  foot-soldiers  presented  arms  to 
the  sound  of  bugle  and  drum  as  a  token  of  respect. 

An  awning  had  been  erected  in  front  of  the  cemetery 
gate,  and  there  the  mourners  were  met  by  the  officials 
and  ushered  into  an  adjoining  tent,  where  light  refresh- 
ments were  provided.  Meanwhile,  the  wreaths  had 
been  deposited  on  the  graves,  and  the  banners  arranged 
outside    the    tents,    and    after    inspecting    these,  two 


Memorial  Services  501 

specially  selected  mandarins  ascended  the  pavilion,  and 
one  of  them  read  an  apology  for  the  crimes  committed 
a  year  previously,  written  by  the  Governor  of  Shan-si 
with  his  own  hand.  The  other  officials  then  bowed 
three  times  towards  the  graves,  after  which  one  of  the 
missionaries,  in  the  name  of  all,  thanked  the  officials  for 
coming,  and  for  what  they  had  done  m  the  way  of 
public  reparation  for  the  great  wrong  committed  in 
IQOO  Finally,  Shen  Tao-t'ai  handed  over  the  apology 
written  by  the  Governor,  to  be  kept  as  a  permanent 

Representatives  of  the  gentry  then  came  forward 
and  paid  their  respects  to  the  mourners  by  making  a 
low  bow,  after  which  the  Chinese  Christians  gathered 
round  the  pavilion,  and  were  addressed  in  suitable 
terms  by  Mr.  Hoste,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission. 

After  returning  to  the  city,  the  missionaries  and 
Major  Pereira,  of  the  Intelligence  Department  of  the 
British  Force  in  China,  who  accompanied  the  party 
from  Peking,  had  an  interview  with  the  Governor  m  his 
own  Yamen.  After  being  formally  introduced  to  His 
Excellency,  and  some  refreshments  partaken  of,  special 
mention  was  made  by  the  Governor  of  the  occurrences 
of  the  previous  year  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  and  elsewhere,  and 
he  expressed  his  great  regret  for  the  crimes  committed 
by  his  predecessor  in  office  and  at  his  instigation  in 
other  places  in  the  province  of  Shan-si. 

After  further  conversation,  the  guests  withdrew,  and 
were  escorted  to  the  door  of  the  courtyard  by  the 
Governor  in  person. 

II.   HSIN-CHOU 

On  July  26,  1901,  Messrs.  Edwards,  Duncan,  and 
Creasy  Smith  left  T'ai-yuen-fu  for  Hsin-chou  to  hold 
memorial  services  for  the  martyrs  of  the  English  Baptist 
Mission  who  were  massacred  there  in  August  1900. 
They  were  escorted  by  troops,  and  received  and  supplied 
with  food  by  the  proper  officials  through  whose  juris- 


502  Appendix 

diction  they  passed  en  route.  At  two  places  on  the 
way  they  occupied  rooms  which  the  Emperor  had 
occupied  in  his  flight  from  Peking  to  Hsi-an-fui,  and 
which  were  suitably  fitted  up,  the  roofs  in  yellow  paper 
and  the  walls  in  red,  and  made  as  clean  as  Chinese 
inns  will  admit  of  in  a  general  way. 

When  five  miles  from  Hsin-chou,  an  official  recep- 
tion was  prepared,  attended  by  all  the  leading  officials 
and  gentry  of  the  place.  A  procession  was  formed, 
and  with  all  outward  tokens  of  respect  the  party  was 
led  through  the  city  to  the  house  formerly  occupied  by 
Mr.  McCurrach,  which  had  been  fitted  up  for  their 
reception. 

Of  the  six  places  formerly  occupied  by  the  martyrs 
in  Hsin-chou,  two  were  completely  destroyed,  and  two 
looted  of  everything  of  value  in  them.  Following  the 
example  set  in  the  capital  of  the  province,  public  funeral 
services  were  held  for  the  eight  members  of  the  English 
Baptist  Mission  who  were  massacred  with  such  brutality 
in  August  1900. 

III.  t'ai-ku  hsien 

At  the  city  of  T'ai-Ku  were  buried  the  remains  of 
eighteen  British,  American,  and  Swedish  missionaries, 
who  were  formerly  located  at  T'ai-Ku,  Fen-chou-fu,  and 
Hsiao-I.  They  were  publicly  interred  in  a  garden,  which 
was  previously  the  property  of  one  of  the  leading  Boxers 
of  the  place,  but  which  was  confiscated  to  the  public 
use  to  which  it  has  now  been  put.  This  was  done  at 
the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Atwood,  of  the  American  Board 
Mission,  who  thought  that  this  grove-lined  garden  would 
make  a  suitable  burying-ground,  and  at  the  same  time 
be,  in  a  small  way,  some  reparation  for  the  crimes  and 
excesses  committed  by  the  Boxers. 


Relief  of  Shan-si  Christians        503 

APPENDIX   II 

The  Relief  of  Native  Christians  in  Shan-si 

When  the  news  reached  Chefoo  in  December  1900 
that  the  native  Christians  in  the  province  of  Shan-si 
were  in  dire  distress,  a  profound  impression  was  created. 
This  was  owing  to  the  letter  received  from  Mr.  Graham 
M'Kie,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  who  was  then  in 
P'ing-yang-fu,  he  being  with  his  party  the  last  sur- 
vivors of  the  missionaries  in  that  province.  The  letter 
stated  that  the  Christians  were  wandering  about  without 
homes,  worse  than  beggars,  as,  owing  to  the  anti- 
Christian  proclamations  issued  by  the  Governor  of 
Shan-si,  Yu  Hsien,  and  his  successor  in  that  office,  named 
Hsi  Liang,  and  his  subordinates,  no  one  dared  show 
them  any  kindness  or  minister  to  their  necessities.  The 
letter  also  stated  that,  unless  help  was  soon  received, 
many  must  perish  of  starvation. 

When  the  missionaries  in  Chefoo,  who  with  refugee 
missionaries  from  other  parts  formed  a  considerable 
body,  had  time  to  consider  the  matter,  it  was  decided 
to  form  a  committee  to  devise  means  to  help  the 
Christians  in  their  distress.  This  committee  consisted 
of — Rev.  H.  Corbett  and  Dr.  James  Boyd  Neal,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Mission  ;  Dr.  G.  W.  Guinness 
and  Mr.  E.  Tomalin,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission ;  Rev. 
S.  B.  Drake  and  Mr.  R.  C.  Forsyth,  of  the  English 
Baptist  Mission.  This  committee  appointed  Dr.  Corbett 
chairman,  and  Mr.  Forsyth  secretary,  and  met  promptly 
to  discuss  plans. 

After  much  earnest  thought  and  prayer,  the  con- 
clusion was  forced  upon  the  committee  that,  in  the 
absence  of  any  missionary  in  Shan-si  (Mr.  M'Kie,  of 
course,  expecting  to  leave  soon),  and  the  uncertainty 
and  danger  of  placing  sums  of  money  in  the  hands  of 
messengers,  the  only  alternative  seemed  to  be  to 
approach  the  Chinese  authorities,  through  the  Powers 


504  Appendix 

then  assembled  in  Peking,  and  get  pressure  brought  to 
bear  on  the  Governor  of  Shan-si  to  render  such  help 
as  was  needed.  After  some  negotiation,  it  was  decided 
to  entrust  the  matter  to  Dr.  G.  W.  Guinness,  and  he 
willingly  undertook  the  commission,  himself  paying  all 
costs  of  travel. 

The  plan  decided  upon  was  to  enlist  the  sympathies 
of  Dr.  Morrison,  the  Times  correspondent  in  Peking, 
who  was  a  personal  friend  of  a  member  of  the  committee, 
and  through  him  get  the  British  Legation  to  take  the 
matter  up.  Dr.  Guinness,  after  a  very  trying  journey  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  reached  Tien-tsin,  vid  Shan-hai- 
kuan,  and  together  with  Mr.  Mills  of  the  same  Mission, 
stationed  in  Tien-tsin,  proceeded  to  the  capital.  The 
following  extracts  from  the  British  Blue  Books  on  China 
will  describe  the  result :  ^ — 

*0n  January  16,  1901,  a  deputation  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  consisting  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Guinness  and 
Rev.  Dennis  J.  Mills,  called  at  this  Legation,  and  re- 
presented to  Mr.  Tower,  that  in  the  province  of  Shan-si 
some  two  thousand  to  four  thousand  native  Christians 
belonging  to  the  China  Inland  Mission,  the  American 
Board  Mission,  and  the  English  Baptist  Mission,  were 
in  a  state  of  extreme  destitution  and  misery,  and  in 
danger  of  starvation.  They  stated  that  this  information 
had  reached  them  from  Mr.  MTCie,  Mrs.  Ogren,  Miss 
Way,  and  Miss  Chapman,  who  were  still  at  P'ing-yang, 
and  that  food  and  clothing  were  being  withheld  from 
them  by  the  provincial  authorities  on  account  of  their 
professing  the  Christian  faith. 

*  It  being  impossible,  in  the  present  unsettled  condi- 
tion of  the  province,  for  direct  relief  to  be  afforded  by 
Mission  establishments  here  or  at  Tien-tsin,  or  for  the 
transmission  of  funds  for  distribution  on  the  spot,  I 
immediately  addressed  a  communication  to  Prince 
Ch'ing  and  Li  Hung  Chang,  recounting  the  information 
which  I  have  received,  and  urgently  pressed  them  to 

^  See  Blue  Book,  China,  No.  6,  1901,  page  125. 


Relief  of  Shan-si  Christians        505 

cause  telegraphic  instructions  to  be  addressed  to  the 
Governor,  Hsi  Liang,  that  these  Chinese  subjects  should 
be  properly  protected,  the  same  treatment  being  meted 
out  to  them  as  to  other  Chinese  in  the  province.  I 
based  my  representations  upon  Article  VI 11.^  of  the 
Treaty  of  1858  and  other  Treaty  provisions,  as  well  as 
on  the  score  of  common  humanity. 

'  I  received  an  immediate  reply  on  the  i8th  inst,  to 
the  effect  that  a  telegram  had  been  despatched  to  the 
Governor  in  the  sense  desired  by  me.  The  United 
States  Minister,  Mr.  Conger ;  the  French  Minister,  M. 
Pichon ;  the  Italian  Minister,  Marquis  Salvago ;  the 
German  Minister,  Herr  von  Mumm,  addressed  identical 
notes  to  the  Chinese  Plenipotentiaries  on  behalf  of  their 
converts  in  the  province  of  Shan-si. 

'  I  have  communicated  to  Dr.  Guinness  and  Mr. 
Mills  the  steps  which  I  have  taken  on  their  representa- 
tions, and  I  enclose  herewith  copy  of  their  acknowledg- 
ment of  my  action.  (Signed)  Ernest  Satow.' 

The  following  letter  was  sent  by  Sir  E.  Satow  to 
Prince  Ch'ing  and  Li  Hung  Chang : — 

'FEKmc, /an.  17,  1901. 

'  It  has  been  brought  to  my  notice  that  in  the 
province  of  Shan-si  there  are  several  thousands  of  native 
Christians  in  a  state  of  extreme  destitution,  and  that 
unless  immediate  relief  is  afforded  they  will  inevitably 
perish  of  hunger  and  cold. 

'  That  they  have  been  reduced  to  such  extremities  is 
the  consequence  of  the  persecution  to  which  they  were 
subjected  at  the  hands  of  the  late  Governor,  Yii  Hsien. 
They  were   persecuted,  killed,   plundered,  and   robbed 

1  Article  VIII.  of  the  English  Treaty  of  1858  reads  thus:— 'The 
Christian  religion  as  professed  by  Protestants  or  Roman  Catholics  inculcates 
the  practice  of  virtue,  and  teaches  man  to  do  as  he  would  be  done  by. 
Persons  teaching  it  or  professing  it,  therefore,  shall  alike  be  entitled  to  the 
protection  of  the  Chinese  authorities,  nor  shall  any  such  peaceably  pursuing 
their  calling  and  not  offending  against  the  laws  be  persecuted  or  interfered 
with.' 


5o6  Appendix 

because  they  were  Christians  ;  and  because  they  are 
Christians,  such  as  have  survived  find  it  impossible  to 
procure  relief.  They  are,  I  am  told,  not  even  allowed 
to  ask  for  alms. 

'  It  is  needless  for  me  to  remind  your  Highness  and 
your  Excellency  of  the  Treaty  provisions  regarding  the 
obligations  of  China  to  protect  all  professing  Christianity 
who  suffer  solely  because  they  profess  the  religions  of 
the  West;  and  that  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  is  not 
unmindful  of  this  fact  is  evidenced  by  the  Imperial 
Decree  of  December  23,  1900,  wherein  His  Excellency 
Hsi  Liang  is  instructed  to  afford  due  protection  to 
missionaries  and  converts. 

'  From  the  information  which  has  reached  me,  I  am, 
however,  convinced  that  the  protection  by  itself  is  in- 
sufficient to  relieve  the  distress  of  the  native  Christians ; 
they  stand  in  immediate  need  of  food  and  clothing. 

'  They  are  all  the  children  of  His  Majesty  the 
Emperor,  and  as  such  entitled  to  his  protecting  care, 
and  I  feel  certain  that  His  Majesty  would  never  allow 
them  to  die  by  the  roadside,  could  steps  be  taken  to 
prevent  such  a  calamity. 

'  My  object  in  addressing  you,  therefore,  is  to  ask 
you  to  be  good  enough  to  telegraph  to  T'ai-Yuan,  and 
suggest  to  the  Governor  of  Shan-si  that  he  should  at 
once  institute  some  satisfactory  system  of  relief  whereby 
the  lives  of  these  poor  people  may  be  saved  before  it  is 
too  late. 

'  There  should  be  no  distinction  of  creed  or  biassed 
discrimination ;  the  question  is  one  of  saving  life,  the 
importance  of  which  duty  is  recognised  by  all  laws  of 
humanity,  and  by  all  who  have  to  safeguard  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people.  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of 
Shantung  has,  I  believe,  most  promptly  and  effect- 
ively afforded  such  relief  as  was  found  necessary  in 
the  province  under  his  jurisdiction,  and  it  is  manifestly 
unjust  that  the  boundaries  of  a  province  should  form 
a  dividing  line  between  life  and  death. 

'  I  trust,  therefore,  that  you  will  see  fit  to  telegraph 


Relief  of  Shan-si  Christians        507 

in  this  sense  to  T'ai-Yuan,  and  if  necessary  support 
your  suggestion  by  a  telegraphic  memorial  to  the  Throne, 
asking  that  instructions  be  issued  in  this  sense. — Await- 
ing your  reply,  etc/ 

On  January  i8,  1901,  Dr.  Guinness  wrote  to  Mr. 
Tower  from  Peking  the  following  letter  : — 

'Dear  Mr.  Tower, — It  is  with  true  thankfulness  that 
I  have  read  your  letter  conveying  the  news  that  Prince 
Ch'ing  and  Li  Hung  Chang  have  telegraphed  the 
Governor  of  Shan-si  in  the  sense  agreed  upon  at  our 
interview  with  yourself.  There  is  every  reason  now  to 
hope  that  adequate  help  will  be  given,  is  there  not  ? 

'  Sir  Ernest  Satow  and  yourself  have  been  to  no 
little  trouble  to  help  those  who  are  far  away  and  cannot 
express  their  gratitude,  but  you  have  the  knowledge 
that  "  inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these  My  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me,"  and 
this  cannot  but  bring  you  deep  satisfaction.' 

It  is  only  necessary  to  add  that,  although  the 
announcement  was  received  with  incredulous  surprise 
by  some,  yet  from  letters  which  were  sent  by  the  native 
Christians  in  T'ai-yuen-fu  to  their  friends  at  the  coast, 
the  Governor  of  Shan-si,  Hsi  Liang,  was  compelled, 
owing  to  the  instructions  received  from  Prince  Ch'ing 
and  Li  Hung  Chang,  to  give  substantial  relief  to  the 
native  Christians,  thus  completely  reversing  his  own 
previous  policy,  and  giving  the  poor  Christians  not  only 
a  respite  from  suffering,  but  also  favour  in  the  eyes  of 
their  fellow-countrymen. 

The  following  letter,  which  was  received  by  Dr. 
Guinness  from  Reginald  Tower,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the 
British  Legation,  Peking,  dated  February  3,  1901,  will 
show  what  was  done  by  the  Governor  of  Shan-si  in 
response  to  the  instructions  sent  him  : — 

'Dear  Dr.  Guinness,— With  reference  to  our  con- 


5oS  Appendix 

versation  while  you  were  in  Peking,  it  will  be  of  interest 
to  you  to  read  the  following  telegram  which  has  been 
addressed  by  the  Governor  of  Shan-si  on  January  31 
last  to  Prince  Ch'ing  and  Li  Hung  Chang,  in  reply  to 
their  instructions  to  His  Excellency  to  aftbrd  relief  to 
missionaries  and  Christian  converts. 

*  The  Governor  has  "long  ago"  (?)  issued  repeated 
instructions  that  measures  for  the  relief  of  the  converts 
throughout  the  province  should  be  energetically  and 
efficiently  carried  out.  The  places  which  have  already 
reported  the  action  taken  in  obedience  to  those  instruc- 
tions are :  Yang-ch'u,  T'ai-ku,  Hsu  Kow,  Chiang-chou, 
Kuei-hua,  and  P>ng-chen. 

*  The  population  is  most  numerous  in  the  chief 
district  {i.e.  Yang-ch'u),  and  the  difficulties  of  investi- 
gation are  also  the  greatest  there.  In  the  city  and 
suburbs  there  are  altogether  over  six  thousand  Roman 
Catholics  and  Protestants,  while  in  the  other  places  the 
numbers  vary  from  under  a  hundred  to  seven  or  eight 
hundred. 

'  The  methods  of  relief  are  sometimes  to  give  money 
and  sometimes  give  money  and  grain.  In  famine- 
stricken  districts  there  is  special  exemption  from  taxa- 
tion and  special  grants  of  relief.  The  converts  are  never 
suffered  to  be  homeless  ;  if  their  property  has  been  seized, 
inquiries  are  made  and  restitution  effected.  As  regards 
distressed  missionaries,  the  local  authorities  in  the 
province  have  relieved  them  either  by  paying  out  of 
their  own  pockets,  or  by  advancing  money  on  loan. 

'  The  British  missionaries  at  P'ing-yang,  M'Kie  and 
others,  six  in  all,  who  started  last  month  for  Hankow, 
were  given  two  thousand  taels  (say  ;^300  or  Si  500 
gold),  and  were  escorted  by  the  district  magistrate, 
Ch'eng  Shou-t'ai,  and  one  hundred  soldiers.  Within  the 
last  few  days  the  Italian  missionaries  at  Huan-chen  and 
others  returning  to  Peking  were  presented  with  five 
hundred  taels  (say  ^,'75  sterling,  S375  gold),  and  a 
district  magistrate,  Pan-Li-yen,  was  also  deputed  to 
escort  them   safely  northwards  with   a   detachment  of 


Punishment  of  Officials  509 

troops.     All  the  expenses  of  these  journeys  were  de- 
frayed from  the  revenue  of  the  province. 

'  All  these  are  true  facts,  showing  the  action  that  is 
being  taken.  If  there  are  any  officials  who  do  not  do 
their  duty  in  the  matter,  they  will,  of  course,  be  removed 
and  denounced.' 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  letter  that  much  stress  is 
laid  on  what  Jias  already  been  done^  especially  towards 
the  foreigners ;  but  nothing  would  have  been  done  for 
the  latter  unless  by  the  representations  of  Sir  Ernest 
Satow,  as  the  Blue  Books  inform  us,  on  action  taken  by 
him  in  November  1900;  and  it  is  equally  certain  that 
nothing  was  thought  of  the  Christian  natives  before  this 
movement  was  made,  which  compelled  attention  to  their 
needs,  and  forced  the  authorities  to  act  in  an  adequate 
manner  in  supplying  their  wants. 


APPENDIX    III 

The  Punishment  of  Officials  concerned  in 
THE  Massacres 

I.  THE  CIIU-CHOU   massacres 

The  execution  of  fourteen  persons  connected  with  the 
murder  of  missionaries  in  and  around  Chu-chou  last  year 
took  place  at  Hangchow,  on  August  25,  1901.  The 
following  is  a  condensed  report  of  the  proceedings  from 
a  reliable  eye-witness  of  the  events.     He  says : 

'Captain  Chou,  the  commander  of  the  garrison  in 
Chu-chou  last  year,  was  to  be  beheaded  in  the  Prefect's 
Yamen.  A  great  crowd  had  gathered,  and  the  flags 
and  other  paraphernalia  were  in  evidence  at  the  outer 
hall,  for  the  criminal  himself,  being  of  official  rank,  had 
to  worship  towards  the  north  (towards  the  Emperor) 


5IO  Appendix 

At  the  prison  gate  the  prisoner's  son  and  grandson  stood 
weeping,  having  been  refused  entrance  by  the  jailer  to 
see  him  for  the  last  time. 

'  Presently  the  provincial  treasurer  and  judge  arrived, 
and  were  announced  by  the  great  drum  being  struck 
three  times.  The  officials  when  seated  called  for  the 
prisoner,  and  the  runners  brought  him  in.  He  came  on 
foot,  escorted  by  soldiers.  He  was  clothed  in  black, 
wearing  boots,  but  no  hat.  He  was  short,  stout,  white- 
haired,  growing  bald,  apparently  about  fifty  years  of 
age.  He  was  offered  wine,  which  he  declined,  and 
remained  silent. 

*  According  to  the  rule  for  criminals  of  rank,  he  now 
knelt  and  worshipped  towards  the  north,  to  thank  the 
Emperor  for  his  will.  The  crowd  was  increasing.  Strong 
men  pulled  the  criminal  away,  and  thrust  him  into  an  old 
topless  sedan  chair,  and  carried  him  to  the  execution 
ground  outside  the  Ts'ing-p'o  gate.  About  a  thousand 
soldiers  and  probably  ten  thousand  spectators  accom- 
panied them.  Going  out  of  the  city,  the  criminal  was  in 
front  and  the  provincial  judge  behind.  Some  ten  steps 
from  the  gate  three  bamboo  sheds  had  been  erected,  the 
central  one  being  for  the  tablet  containing  the  Imperial 
decree  of  decapitation.  As  the  doomed  man  came  in 
view  of  the  tablet,  he  sighed  deeply,  stroked  his  beard, 
seated  himself  on  the  ground,  and  said  to  the  execu- 
tioner, "  Finish  it  up  well."  His  hands  were  placed 
behind  his  back,  and  with  two  strokes  the  head  was 
severed  from  the  body.  When  all  was  over,  the  head 
was  sewn  on  to  the  body,  put  in  a  coffin,  and  carried  off 
by  the  members  of  his  family.' 

II.   EXECUTIONS  AT  HANGCHOW 

'Early  on  the  morning  of  September  8,  1901,  five 
civil  officials  and  two  military  officers  assembled  in  the 
Governor's  Yamen  at  Hangchow  to  conduct  the  pro- 
ceedings connected  with  the  execution  of  thirteen 
criminals  connected  with  the  massacres  of  the  preceding 


Punishment  of  Officials  511 

year.  The  drum  having  notified  their  arrival,  the  four 
superior  officials  bowed  the  Governor  into  his  seat. 
Then,  as  it  was  yet  dark,  the  place  became  suddenly 
bright  with  torches  and  lanterns.  The  Governor's 
deputy  called  for  the  tablets  with  the  prisoners'  names, 
which  the  Governor  marked  with  a  vermilion  pen.  The 
prisoners  were  named  Ch'eng-kuei-seng,  Ts'ui-yuan-h'ao, 
Chou-ta-ts'ing,  Ch'eng-lao-wu,  Chou-siao-keng,  Tsiang- 
yung-lu,  Hsu-chang-kow,  Wang-chung-kuei,  Li-chang- 
keng,  Ch'eng-mo-tz,  Lao-fan,  Ch'en-yung-chi,  and  Shao- 
king-yung. 

'  The  prisoners  were  brought  into  the  hall  in  cages, 
and  some  were  heard  protesting  their  innocence,  and 
one  young  man  standing  in  the  hall  appealed  for  his 
relative's  life,  but  was  pushed  aside.  Suddenly  the  order 
was  shouted  out,  "  On  with  them,"  and  as  day  was 
breaking  they  were  hurried  out  of  the  gate,  and  seated 
in  order  on  the  ground.  At  the  sound  of  a  gun,  the 
executioner  came  forward  and  proceeded  to  decapitate 
the  prisoners  one  by  one  till  all  were  beheaded.  An 
officer  wearing  red  garments  and  a  red  hat  held 
aloft  in  both  hands  the  Imperial  tablet  ordering  the 
execution. 

'  Some  of  the  prisoners,  before  execution,  seemed  full 
of  impudent  boldness,  four  or  five  kept  silent,  while  one 
wept.  The  hardiest  of  all  was  Ch'eng-lao-wu,  and  the 
bystanders  wasted  no  pity  on  him  and  some  of  his 
associates,  saying  they  were  not  good  men,  and  came  to 
the  end  they  deserved.  It  seemed  clear  that  so  far 
the  people  are  persuaded  that  the  right  persons  are 
punished.  Their  sense  of  justice  rises  above  any  ill 
feeling  against  the  foreigner.' 


INDEX 


Ament,  Dr.,  bravery  of,  271. 

Anderson,  Misses  C.  and  H.,  deaths  of,  80,  81. 

Anderson,   Mr.  and    Mrs.   E.,  and    children, 

deaths  of,  83. 
Anderson,  E.,  notice  of,  463. 
Ans-hsu-ken,  story  of,  369. 
Argento,  Mr.,  story  of,  238  sq. 
Aspden,  Miss  M.,  death  of,  78  ;  notice  of,  460, 
Atwater,  Rev.  E.  R.,  death  of  children  of,  34; 

story  of,  71  sq.  ;  notice  of,  456. 

Bagisloosky,  Mr.,  death  of,  284. 

Bagnail,  Mr._  and  Mrs. ,  and  daughter,  deaths 

of,  25  ;  notices  of,  422,  423. 
Barratt,  Mr.  D.,  death  of,  73. 
Beynon,  Rev.W.  T.,  death  of,  38  ;  notice  of,  439. 
Beynon,  Mrs.,  notice  of,  440. 
Biggin,  Rev,  T.,  on  Rev.  J.  Stonehouse,  477. 
Bingmark,    Mr.    and    Mrs.    O.,  and   children, 

deaths  of,  83  ;  notices  of,  465. 
Bird,  Mr.  C.  H.,  story  of,  228  sq. 
Bird,  Miss  R.,  death  of,  69  ;  notice  of,  455. 
Bishop,  Roman  Catholic,  death  of,  39. 
Blomberg,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C,  and  child,  deaths 

of,  79 ;  notices  of,  464,  465. 
Blue  Book  on  China,  quoted,  504. 
Boughton,  Miss,  story  of,  264  sq. 
Boxers,  the,  origin  of,  5,  19. 

—  incantations  of,  6. 

—  increase  of,  100. 

—  in  Manchuria,  297. 

Brooks,  Mr.,  story  of,  9  ;  dream  of,  10. 
Brown,  Mrs.  H.  J.,  story  of,  252  sq. 
Bruce,  Rev.  J.  P.,  story  of  a  recantation,  399  sq. 
Burton,  Miss  E.,  death  of,  74. 

Campbell,  Mr.  C.  W.,  trial  before,  ir. 
Canadian  Presbyterian  missionaries,  escape  of, 

202  sq. 
Cannibalism  in  Shen-si,  8. 
Carlsson,  Mr.  N.,  death  of,  79  ;  notice  of,  461. 
Chalfant,  Rev.  F.  H.,  storj'  of,  264  sq. 
Chang,  murder  of,  352. 
Chang,  Mr,  and  Mrs. ,  story  of,  353  sq. 
Chang  An,  story  of,  364. 
Chang-Chih-kweh,  story  of,  371. 
Chang  Chih-tung,  conduct  of,  126,  127. 
Chang-kwei,  story  of,  373. 
Chang-lao,  story  of,  370, 
Chang-ling-wang,  story  of,  369, 
Ch'ang-shan,  murders  at,  93, 
Chao,  kindness  of,  245. 
Chao-hsi-mao,  story  of,  372. 
Chao-yung-yao,  story  of,  376. 
Chapman,  Miss  M.  E.,  story  of,  134  sq. 


Chen-Chih-tao  family,  story  of,  373. 

Cheng-feng-hsi,  story  of,  374. 

Cheo-chi-cheng,  story  of,  371. 

Chiang,  story  of,  356. 

Ching  Ch'ang,  conduct  of,  296  sq. 

Chou,  Captain,  execution  of,  509, 

Christian     and     Missionary     Alliance,     New 

York,  82. 
Christie,  Dr,,  story  of,  -3,00  sq. 
Chu-chou-fu,  massacres  at,  90  sq. 

—  terms  of  treaty  with  Taotai  of,  96, 

—  martjTS,  notices  of,  468  sq. 

—  officials  at,  punishment  of,  509. 

Clapp,  Rev.  D.  H.  and  Mrs.,  deaths  of,  69; 

notices  of,  453,  454. 
Clarke,  Mr.  E.,  notice  of,  438. 
Conway,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  child,  story  of,  220  sq. 
Coombs,  Miss  E.,  death  of,  33  ;  notice  of,  429. 
Cooper,  Mr.  E.  J.,  Mrs.,  and  children,  story 

of,  118. 
Cooper,  Mr.  E.  J.,  notice  of,  483. 
Cooper,  Rev.  W.,  death  of,  25  ;  notice  of,  421. 
Cornwell,  Rev.  G.,  conduct  of,  251, 
Coup  d'etat  of  September  22,  1898,  4. 
Crawford,  Rev.  A.  R.,  story  of,  289  sq. 
Crawford,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  T,  P.,  story  of,  2^2 sq. 

Daily  Ne-ws,  quoted,  85  sq. 
Davis,  Rev.  F.  W.,  death  of,  69  ;  notice  of,  454. 
Desmond,  Miss  J.,  death  of,  91  ;  notice  of,  469, 
Dixon,  Rev.  H.  and  Mrs.,  story  of,  48  ;  diary 

of,  49  sq.\  notices  of,  443,  444. 
Dobson,  ^liss  E.  L.,  death  of,  76. 
Douw,  Mr.,  story  of,  204  sq. 
Duval,  Miss   M.,  story  of,  34;   death  of,  39; 

notice  of,  429. 

Edwards,  Dr.  E.  H,,  letter  of,  on  Pao-ting-fu 
martyrs,  26, 

—  his  story  of  Shan-si  martjTS,  366  sq. 

—  on  Dr,  Wilson,  436. 

Edwards,  Mrs,,  on  Mrs,  Lovitt,  432._ 

Eldred,  Miss  A,,  story  of,  71  sq.  ;  notice  of,  458, 

Empress-Dowager,  policy  of,  4. 

Engvall,  Jkliss  J,,  death  of,  79  ;  notice  of,  462, 

Ennals,  Rev,_  S,  W,,  death  of,  45;  diary  of, 

60  sq.  ;  notice  of,  450, 
Ericson,  Miss  E,,  death  of,  83  ;  notice  of,  463,  • 
Examinations,  491. 

Famine,  presence  of,  8. 

—  at  T'ai-j-uen-fu,  30. 
Fan-si,  martyrs  of,  381. 
Fan-si-hsien,  events  at,  375. 

Farthing,  Rev,  G. B., death  of,  38  ;  notice  of,  440. 
Farthing,  Mrs.,  notice  of,  441. 


514 


Index 


Fej,  Mr.,  71  ;  escape  of,  72. 
Fei-chi-hao,  Mr.,  story  of,  41,  383  sq. 
Fen-chou-fu,  missionaries  at,  71, 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  456  sq. 
Fisher,  Mr.,  203  sg. 

Fisher,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  D.  L.,  story  of,  289  sq. 

Forecasts,  494  sq. 

Forsberg,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.,  and  child,  deaths 

of,  7g. 
Forsberg,  O.,  notice  of,  464. 
Fowler,  Mr.  J.,  U.S.  Consul,  energy  of,  251. 
French,  Mr.  G.  F.,  on  T.  W.  Piggott,  425. 
Friedstrom,  Mr.  N,  J.,  80,  81. 
Fulton,  Mr.,  story  of,  300  sq. 

Gamewell,  Mr.,  at  siege  in  Peking,  108. 

Gaselee,  General,  kindness  of,  344. 

Gates,  Miss,  story  of,  127  sq. 

Germans  at  Kiaochou,  i. 

Gillespie,  Dr.  J.  R.  and  Mrs.,  story  of,  291  sq. 

Glover,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  children,  story  of,  127  sq. 

Glover,  Mr,  A.  E.,  notice  of,  480. 

Goforth,  Rev.  J.,  story  of,  202  sq. 

Goforth,  Paul,  story  of,  2 10  sq. 

Gordon,  Rev.  R.  J.,  Mrs.,  and  children,  story 

of,  292  sq. 
Gould,  Miss  A.  A.,  story  of,  24  ;  notice  of,  420. 
Green,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  children,  story  of,  311  sq. 
Gregg,  Miss,  story  of,  311  sq. 
Greig,  Dr.  J.  A.  and  Mrs.,  story  of,  289  sq. 
Griffith,  Rev.  J.,  story  of,  205  sq.,  210  sq. 
Guinness,  Dr.  G.  W,,  story  of,  219  sq. 

—  mission  of,  504. 

—  letters  of,  507. 

Gustasson,  Miss  A.,  death  of,  83;  notice  of, 

467. 
Guthrie,  Miss,  story  of,  118. 

Hall,  Miss  K.,  death  of,  83  ;  notice  of,  467. 

Hamilton,  Rev,  W.  B.,  conduct  of,  251. 

Han-Lin  College,  destruction  of,  112. 

Hangchow,  executions  at,  510. 

Hawes,  Miss,  storj^  of,  264  sq. 

Heaj'sman,  Miss  M.,  death  of,  75. 

Hedlund,  Miss   M.,  death  of,  79 ;  notice  of, 

462. 
Heh-siao-fu,  a  deacon,  66. 
Helleberg,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  death  of,  82. 
Ho  Tsuen-kwei,  story  of,  368. 
Hoddle,  Mr.  A.,  death  of,  38;  notice  of,  435. 
Hodge,  Dr.  C.  Van  R.,  notice  of,  414. 
Hodge,  Mrs.  C.  R.,  notice  of,  414, 
Honan,  flight  from,  202  sq. 

—  C.I.M.  in,  story  of,  219  sq. 
Ho-tsin,  missionaries  at,  74." 
Hsiao-I-Hsien,  troubles  at,  65. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  451  sq. 
Hsin-chou,  missionaries  at,  43. 

—  flight  from,  44. 

—  death  of  missionaries,  45. 

—  martj'rs  of,  notices  of,  443  sq, 

—  memorial  services  at,  501, 
Hsu-yen,  story  of,  377, 
Huai-lu,  missionaries  in,  311  sq. 
Hurn,  Miss,  death  of,  76. 

Hutson,  Miss,  story  of,    118;    death  of,  126; 
notice  of,  480. 


FAnson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  S.,  and  children, 

deaths  of,  78. 
FAnson,  C,  notice  of,  459. 
I-chow-fu  Mission,  destruction  of,  270. 
Idolatry,  decay  of,  495-. 
Irish  Presbyterian  Missions  in  Manchuria,  273, 

James,  Mr,,  at  Peking,  106. 
James,  Prof.  F.  H.,  notice  of,  473. 
Jamieson,  Mr.,  203  sq. 
Jennings,  Mr.  A.,  story  of,  118. 
Johansson,  Miss  A.,  death  of,  79  ;  notice  of, 
462. 

Kaiping,  martyrs  of,  366. 

Kao  Chung-tang,  story  of,  376. 

Kao-lien-teng,  story  of,  378. 

Kao-Ye-chung,  story  of,  379. 

Karlberg,  Mr.  G.  E.,  death  of,  79;  notice  of,  461. 

Kasignery,  Mr.,  generosity  of,  278. 

Kay,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.,  and  child,  deaths  of,  75, 

Ketteler,  Baron  von,  murder  of,  102, 

Kettler,  Dr. ,  on  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hodge  and  Rev. 

F.  E,  Simcox,  415. 
Kiaochou,  Germans  at,  i. 
King,  Miss  A.,  death  of,  74. 
Kirin,  missionaries  at,  288. 
K'uan-ch'eng-tzu,  missionaries  at,  292. 
Kuang  Hsu,  Emperor,  policy  of,  3. 
K'u-\vu,  missionaries  at,  75. 

Lamasse,  Pere,  278. 

Lao-ling  Mission,  destruction  of,  270. 

Larsson,  Mr,  O.  A,  L.,  death  of,  79 ;   notice 

of,  462. 
Leslie,  Mr. ,  story  of,  203  sq. 
Li,  Mr.,  a  bully,  394  sq.  ;  conduct  of,  222  sq. 
Li  Pai,  story  of,  359  sq. 
Libellates,  349, 
Li-chung,  story  of,  377. 
Li-ch'ung-kuan,  46. 

Lin-ch'ing-chou  Mission,  destruction  of,  270, 
Liu,  an  elder,  death  of,  69. 
Liu,  Pastor,  sermon  of,  301. 
Liu  Ming-chin,  story  of,  365. 
Liu-tsi-hen,  story  of,  377, 

Lovitt,  Dr.  A.  E.,  death  of,  38  :  notice  of,  430. 
Lovitt,  Mrs.,  death  of,  38  ;  notice  of,  432. 
Lowrie,  Rev.  J,  W. ,  story  of,  20. 
Lowrie,  Mrs.  A.  P.,  on  Dr.  G.  Y.  Taylor,  413  ; 

on  Mrs.  Simcox,  417. 
Lu-an,  outbreak  at,  127. 
Lu-ch'eng  martyrs,  notices  of,  479  sq. 
Lund,  Miss  H.,  80,  81. 
Lundberg,  Mr,  and  Mrs.  C.  L.,  and  children, 

deaths  of,  83  ;  notice  of,  463. 
Lundell,  Miss  J.,  death  of,  79;  notice  of,  462. 
Lundgren,  Mr,  and  Mrs.  A.  P.,  story  of,  71  sq.  ; 

notice  of,  457. 

M'CoNNELL,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  and  child,  deaths 

of,  74. 
McCurrach,  Rev.  W,   A.,  letters  of,    58  sq.\ 

notice  of,  445. 
McCurrach,  Mrs,,  notice  of,  446. 
INIacdonald,  Sir  C,  chosen  chief  officer  at  siege 

of  Legations,  106. 


Index 


515 


M'Intosh,  Mr.,  story  of,  204  st^. 

M'Intyre,  Rev.  Mr.,  escape  of,  295. 

M'Kee,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.,  and  children,  deaths 

of,  78  ;  notices  of,  459,  460. 
Mackenzie,  Mr.,  story  of,  203  S(/. 
M'Kie,  Mr.  G.,  story  of,  134  sq. 
Manchester,  Miss  M.  E.,  death  of,  91  ;  notice 

of,  470. 
Manciiuria,  Russians  in,  2. 

—  story  of  missions  in,  273  sg'. 

—  Government  of,  296. 

—  baptisms  in,  299. 
Martyrs,  native,  346  sg'. 

Matthews,  Rev.  H.,  on  Mr.  Brooks,  11. 
Memorial  services,  at  T'ai-yuen-fu,  499  ;  Hsin- 

chou,  501 ;  T'ai-ku  Hsien,  502. 
Men-shang,  conduct  of,  373. 
Millar- Wilson,  Dr.  W.,  notice  of,  435. 
Mills,  Rev.  C.  E.,  on  Rev.  H.  T.  Pitkin,  417. 
Mills,  Rev.  D.  J.,  mission  of,  504. 
Miskelly,  Rev.  W.,  story  of,  289  sq. 
Mitchell,  Mr.,  escape  of,  203. 
Mongols,  missionaries  to,  80. 
Morrill,  Miss  S.,  story  of,  24  ;  notice  of,  419. 
Morrison,  Dr.,  at  Peking,  106. 

—  mission  of,  504. 

Moukden  mission,  296  ;  fire  at,  306. 
I\Iuir,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  escape  of,  295. 
Muirhead,  Rev.  W.,  letter  of,  on  famine  relief, 

31- 
Murdock,  Miss  V.  C,  story  of,  85. 

Nathan,  INIisses  F.    E.  and  M.  R.,  deaths 

of,  75- 
Native  Christians,  conduct  of,  347  sg. 

—  of  Shan-si,  relief  of,  503. 
Ngan-wan-niu,  44. 

Nieh,  Pastor,  402. 

Noren,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.,  notice  of,  465. 

Norman,  Harry,  story  of,  13  s^. 

—  kindness  of,  14. 

—  death  of,  18. 

Norris,  Rev.  F.  L.,  on  Yung-ch'ing  outbreak, 

No\'en,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C,  and  children,  deaths 

of,  83. 
Number  Two  Excellency,  296. 
Nystrom,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.,  and  child,  deaths 

of,  83  ;  notice  of,  466. 

Ogren,  Mr.  P.  A.,  story  of,  181  sg.  ;  death  of, 

196  ;  notice  of,  479. 
Ogren,  Mrs.  P.    A.,   escape  of,  134  sg'.  ',  her 

story,  148  sg'. 
Olson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.,  and  children,  deaths 

of,  83  ;  notice  of,  462. 
ONeill,  Rev.  F.  W.  S.,  escape  of,  275  sg. 
Orn,  Miss  K.,  death  of,  83. 

Palm,    Mr.   A.  E.,  death  of,  83;  notice  of, 

466'. 
Pao-ting-fu,  Boxers  at,  19. 

—  massacre  at,  20. 

—  missionaries  at,  20. 

—  story  of  the  martyrdoms  at,  22  sg. 

—  memorial  services  at,  27. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  412  sg. 


Partridge,  Miss  M.  L.,  death  of,  69  ;  notice 

of,  455- 
Peat,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.,  and  children,  deaths 

of,  76.  _ 
Peking,  siege  in,  98  sg. 

—  soldiers  sent  to,  loi. 

—  murder  of  Baron  von  Ketteler,  102. 

—  ignorance  of  Chinese  plans,  103. 

—  conduct  of  American  missionaries  at,  105. 

—  native  converts  in,  105. 

—  Sir  C.  Macdonald  chosen  chief  officer,  106. 

—  supplies  at,  107. 

—  supply  of  ponies  at,  108. 

—  use  of  sand-bags,  109. 

—  conduct  of  Chinese  soldiers  at,  no. 

—  use  of  mines,  112, 

—  conduct  of  garrison  of  Legations,  113. 

—  a  brave  lad,  114. 

—  relief  of,  115. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  473  sg. 
Peking  Syndicate,  engineers  of,  203. 
Persson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  A.,  deaths  of,  79; 

notice  of,  461. 
Patterson,  Mr.  E.,  death  of,  79  ;  notice  of,  462. 
Pigott,  Rev.  T.  W.,  story  of,  34  s?.  ;  death  of, 

39  ;  notice  of,  424. 
Pigott,  Mrs.,  death  of,  39 ;  notice  of,  426. 
Pigott,  W.  W.,  notice  of,  427. 
Ping-5'ang  missionaries,  escape  of,  134  sg. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  479  sg. 
P'ing-yao,  outbreak  at,  116  sg. 

Pitkin,  Rev.   H.   S.,   death  of,  24;  notice  of, 

417- 
Port  Arthur,  Russians  at,  2. 
Postal  system,  extension  of,  492. 
Price,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.,  story  of,  71  sg.  ; 

notices  of,  457. 
Pyke,  Mr.,  story  of,  204  sg. 

Railways,  progress  of,  492. 

Reed,  Mr.,  203  sgr. 

Reflections,  485  sg.^ 

Reform  movement  in  China,  3.  _ 

Reformers,  execution  of  six  Chinese,  4. 

Renaut,  Miss  B.  C,  death  of,  45  ;  letters  of, 

62  ;  notice  of,  449. 
Rice,   Miss   H.  J.,  story  of,   118  ;  death  of, 

122  ;  notice  of,  480. 
Rice  Christians,  347. 
Richard,  Rev.  Dr.  T.,  proposal  of,  490. 
Roberts,  Rev.  J.  H.,  story  of,  85. 
Robertson,  Rev.  D.  and  Mrs.,  escape  of,  295. 
Robinson,  Mr.  C,  story  of,  16  sg.  ;  death  of, 

18. 
Robinson,    Mr.   J. ,   story  of,    34  ;    death   of, 

39  ;  notice  of,  42  3. 
Roman  Catholicism,  influence  of,  7. 

—  martyrs  to,  346. 

Ross,  Dr.  J.,  on  Boxers,  6. 

—  story  of,  296  sg. 

—  on  Manchurian  Christians,  352  sg. 
Russians  at  Port  Arthur,  2. 

—  in  Manchuria,  2. 

—  kindness  of,  281  s//. 

Salisbury,  Lord,  on  murder  of  missionaries,  41. 
Satow,  Sir  E.,  letter  of,  505. 


516 


Index 


Saunders,  Rev.  A.  R.  and  Mrs.,  and  children, 

story  of,  ii6  sq. 
Scandinavian  Alliance  Mission  of  Chicago,  So. 
Schofield  Memorial  Hospital,  burning  of,  117. 
.Searell,  Miss  E.,  story  of,  65  sg.  ',  death  of,  67; 

notice  of,  452. 
Shanghai,  position  in,  491. 
Shan-si,  martyrs  of,  366  so- 

—  position  in,  490. 

—  relief  of  native  Christians  in,  503. 
Shantung,  story  of  martyrs  at,  9. 

—  outbreak  at,  250  sq. 

—  position  in,  490. 

Shao-yang,  story  of  missionaries  at,  34. 
Sherwood,   Miss  E.  S.,  death   of,  91  ;   notice 

of,  471.    _    ^ 
Si-chau,  missionaries  at.  ;6. 
Si-er-mao,  story  of,  369. 
Simcox,  Rev.   F.  E. ,  death  of,  23;  notice  of, 

4T5- 
Simcox,  Mrs.,  notice  of.  416. 
Simpson,  Mr.,  death  of,  -^Z. 
Simpson,  Mr.  and  JMrs.  j..  notice  of,  434. 
Si-\va-yu,  story  of,  370. 
Slimmon,  Mr.,  escape  of,  203, 
Sloan,  Mr.  W.  V>.,  on  Rev.  W.  Cooper,  422. 
Smith,  Mrs.  A.  H.,  on  story  of  Mr.  Fei,  383  sq. 
Smith,  Miss  G.,  her  story  of  sufferings  of  native 

Christians,  353  jy. 
Smith,  Miss  M.  E.,  death  of,  78  ;  notice  of,  460. 
Soen  sisters,  story  of,  380. 
So-ping-fu,  murders  at.  79 
Sowerby,  Rev.  A. ,  on  T.  W.  Pigott,  426. 

—  on  Rev.  T.  J.  Underwood,  447. 
Sprague,  Rev.  W.  P.  and  Mrs.,  flight  of,  85. 
Steam  navigation,  progress  of,  492. 
Stenberg,  Mr.  D.  W.,  death  of,  80,  Br. 
Stevens,  J.,  notice  of,  437. 

Stewart,  E.  ]M.,  notice  of,  443. 

Stokes,  ]Mr.  G.  W.,  death  of,  38;  notice  of,  433. 

Stonehouse,  Rev.  T.,  notice  of,  476. 

Suber,  INIr.  C.  J.,  death  of.  So,  81. 

Suicides,  350. 

Sungari,  native  persecution  in,  352. 

Swedish  Holiness  Union,  martyrs  of,  70. 

—  Mongolian  Mission,  the,  82. 

T'ai  Ku  Hsien,  missionaries  at,  C8. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  453  sq. 

—  memorial  services  at,  502. 
T'ai-yuen-fu,  missions  at,  30. 

—  famine  at,  30. 

—  Boxers  at,  32. 

—  martyrdoms  at,  33  sq. 

—  martyr  roll  of,  40. 

—  fine  on  province,  42. 

—  memorial  services  at,  499. 
Taku  forts  taken,  loi. 
Ta-ning,  missionaries  at,  75. 
Ta-tung-fu,  massacre  at,  77. 

—  martyrs  of,  notices  of,  459  sq. 


Taylor,  Dr.  G.  Y.,  story  of,  22  ;  notice  of,  412. 
Telegraphic  system,  extension  of,  492. 
TheoTJficati,  350. 
Thirgood,  Miss  E.  A.,  death  of,  93  ;  notice  of, 

472. 
Thompson,  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.   D.    B.,  and  boys, 

deaths  of,_9i  ;  notice  of,  468. 
Tien-tsin  railway,  destruction  of,  loi" 
—  assault  of  114. 
Tiger's  mouth,  the,  45. 
Tou  Tang,  story  of,  364. 
Tower,  R.,  Esq.,  letter  of,  507. 
TradiioreSy  349. 
Treaty,  English,  quoted,  505. 
Tsai  Li  sect,  the,  299. 
Tso-lumg  family,  story  of,  375. 
Tsun  Hua,  m.artyrs  in,  365. 
Tung,  story  of,  358. 

UNDERWOor,  Rev,  T.  J.,  death  of  48;'  notice 

of,  441?. 
Underwood,  Z>Irs.,  notice  of,  448. 
United  Free  Church  missionaries  in  ^lanchuria 

273- 

Wahlstedt,  Mr.,  death  of,  82. 

Wang  Cheng-pang,  story  of,  371. 

Wang  Chih-shen,  story  of,  365. 

Wang-hsin,  story  of,  3:9. 

Wang  Ming,  Pastor,  story  of,  399  sq. 

Wang  Pao-t'ai,  Pastor,  story  of,  399  sq. 

Wang-shih,  story  cf,  374. 

Wang  Ying-Kuei,  story  of,  65. 

Ward,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  F.,"and  child,  deaths 

of,  93  ;  notices  of,  472. 
Watson,  Miss  W.,  story  of,  220  sq. 
Way,  Miss  M._E.,  story  of,  134  sq. 
Weihsien  Mission,  burning  of,  264  sq. 
Weir,  Rev.  A.,  story  of,  292  sq. 
Wen  family,  story  of,  357. 
Wen-chang,  abolition  of,  491. 
Whitchurch,  Miss  E.,  story  o^,  65  sg.  ;  death 

of,  67  ;  notice  of,  451. 
Whltehouse,  Rev.  S.  F.,  notice  of,  441. 
Whitehouse,  Mrs.,  notice  of,  442. 
Williams,  Rev.  G.  L.,  death  of,  69  ;  notice  of, 

455. 
Williams,  Rev.  ]M.,  story  of,  85  sq. 
Wilson,  Dr.,  death  of,  38. 
Woodroft'e,  Rlr.  A.,  death  of,  73. 
Wright,  Mr.  A.,  report  of,  95. 
Wu,  story  of,  365. 
Wu  Chien-ch'eng,  Pastor,  story  of,  401  sq. 

Yang,  Mrs.,  story  of,  365. 

Yao-Ch'i  brothers,  story  of,  370. 

Yo-yang,  missionaries  at,  73. 

Young,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. ,  deaths  of,  74. 

Yu  Hsien,  conduct  of,  12,  32  ;  death  of,  41. 

Yuan  Shih  Kai,  rule  of,  12,  272. 

Yung-ch'ing,  outbreak  at,  13. 


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The  China  martyrs  of  1900  :  a  complete 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


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